


Alternate Realities, Alternate Destinies

by ladydragyn



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe, Angst, Established Relationship, Interspecies Relationship(s), Jim Has Issues, M/M, McSpirk - Freeform, Mpreg, Multi, NaNoWriMo 2019, Pregnancy Kink, Strength Kink, TOS/AOS, Threesome - M/M/M, Vulcan Language, Xenophobia, abuse of Vulcan language, mckirk - Freeform, might be more tags later, plot with porn is a thing, spones - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-01-23 01:22:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 63,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21311824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladydragyn/pseuds/ladydragyn
Summary: The USS Enterprise has had a run in with the Romulans (again) who are testing a new weapon.  The crew suddenly find themselves thrown into another time.This is the worst thing that could possibly ever happen to one Leonard H. McCoy.
Relationships: James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy, James T. Kirk/Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock, Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock, Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock/James T. Kirk
Comments: 56
Kudos: 218





	1. Breakthrough

Doctor McCoy and Christine looked up from the scanner and exchanged shocked glances. After so much trying, he’d finally had success! Once the shock wore off, they wrapped each other in tight embraces, barely containing thier excitement as they began jumping up and down. 

He pulled away and held her at arm's length. “We finally did it!”

“Congratulations, doctor!” Christine smiled tenderly touching his arm.

“Thank you, Christine. Couldn’t have done it without you and M’Benga.”

She playfully slapped his arm. “Nonsense. We had very little to do with it.”

He smiled and kissed her hand. “Thanks none the same.”

“You should let the captain know.”

“I will later on. Right now,” he peered over at the chronometer. “How bout we finish up these reports so we can mosey on outta here early.”

She mocked saluted. “Yes sir!”

M’Benga came in early, as usual, and took the reigns. As McCoy passed him on the way out, he whispered, “We did it.”

M’Benga’s mouth was flapping up and down as the doors to sickbay shut and McCoy strutted down the corridor to the mess hall. In a hurry to finish up his work to leave early, he’d missed lunch and had very little for breakfast. He wasn’t a spring chicken anymore and needed to take better care of his health. 

There weren’t many crewman in the officer’s mess. He quickly made it through the line to the replicators and got a chef salad, baked potato, broccoli, and t-bone steak with a juice and glass of water to wash it all down. The mess being practically empty, he had his pick of tables and chose one to the back of the mess hall and sat facing the door. He hated when people walked up behind him. He’d rather face danger head on. 

As he slowly worked his way through his meal, a million thoughts ran through his mind. What would Jim and Spock think? After four previous failures, M’Benga and he had finally figured out the right combination sequence to solve the problem. He smiled mid-chew feeling pretty proud of himself. 

Once he finished his meal, he headed down the hall to the turbo lift. Stepping inside, he patted his distended belly and reminded himself not to overeat. He looked down at the little pudge and tried sucking in his gut. The turbo lift opened.

“'Ello, Dr. McCoy!” Chekov greeted cheerfully. 

McCoy's eyes lit up. “Well hello there, Miss Uhura, Mr. Chekov.”

Uhura's smile was bright enough to brighten up a rainy day. “Doctor." She gave him a quick hug. "Joining us in the rec room for game night tonight?”

McCoy snapped his fingers. He’d totally forgotten in all the excitement that it was game night. Jim and Spock wouldn’t be around until later. He’d have to wait to tell them. “Oh! That’s right, that is tonight innit.”

The Russian's accent thickened slightly now that he was off duty and able to speak freely. “Da. Ze keptin and Mister Scott have this vager to see who can vin ze most hands of poker tonight.”

The doctor crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. There were no bigger poker hustlers than those two. “Oh really? Is Spock playing?”

“No!” Chekov rolled his eyes. “He said it’s illogical for him to play because vulcans don’t lie.”

McCoy chuckled. “That’s Spock alright. In that case, my money’s on Scotty.”

Uhura gasped in surprise. “You’d bet against your own boyfriend?”

“You betcha.” He looked at the chronometer again. “Well, I’ll let you guys get going. Have fun.”

“Later, doctor.” They waved and started to their original destination.

He got onto the turbo lift and headed for the officer’s quarters level. A small sigh slipped out. They had time. It wasn’t a big deal, he told himself. When he got to their floor, he made his way to his own quarters instead of Jim’s. He didn’t want to doze off in Jim’s bed and Spock figure out his news by touching him. If he wasn’t there they’d assume he was just exhausted and wanted to sleep undisturbed if they came in late from game night.

He took a water shower and thought about what this meant for the future. Their breakthrough would help interspecies couples all over the galaxy. Granted, it wasn’t a high priority in Starfleet’s eyes, but the number of Starfleet personnel and their spouses this would benefit was not without merit.

Shutting the water off, he padded out of the shower and voice activated the dryer. In seconds, he and the bathroom were dry. He brushed his teeth, checked for stubble, then headed into the sleep area. After dressing in his pajamas, he picked up one of his antique books that was on the bookcase by the bed, and settled in to read a few chapters. He’d tell Spock and Jim about the breakthrough tomorrow.


	2. Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was NOT the best part of waking up.

The last vestiges of sleep were beginning to drift from him when he was suddenly wide awake. The ship rocked violently nearly pitching him out of his bunk. The red alert klaxons blared to life and he dashed across the room to his comm unit with a raspy curse. As he went to push the button, a voice cut in calling him to sickbay. He hurriedly threw on his uniform and raced from his quarters to the turbo lift while he tried to flatten down his hair. 

The ship rocked again and the lights in the hall flickered as he finally made it to the floor sick bay was on. What the hell was going on now? He dashed down the hall and entered sick bay as the ship rocked again.

“Dammit, man!" he shouted. "Who’s flying this damn bucket of bolts?”

“I believe Lieutenant Sulu has the helm,” a nurse replied.

“Helluva way to wake up.” McCoy grumbled. He looked around the room before jumping into action. Despite the ship rockin' and rollin', there seemed to be only a few minor injuries. Bumps and bruises a few minor cuts. He was patching up the last crewman to enter the sickbay when Uhura’s voice came over the comm.

“All hands, brace for impact!”

Before McCoy or Christine knew it, the ship shuddered violently throwing them and several crewman into biobeds and walls. A display fell from the wall sending sparks flying. An unsecured cart sailed across the room, crashing into the wall. There was a high-pitched ringing in his ears as he pulled himself to his feet. 

There were voices but they sounded distorted and far away. He tried to turn to see who needed medical help only to feel as if his body was weighed down by lead and he was moving in slow motion. The chromometer’s numbers rolled by so fast it was a blur while the humans seemed to barely be moving at all. 

Were they in some sort of time warp? Were they attacked? Did they hit some sort of rift in space? How long would this last? Were Jim and Spock alright? 

He tried to tamp down on his panic. As the CMO, he needed to project a level of calm in the sick bay. By the looks on the crewman’s face, he wasn’t the only one panicking. 

The ship lurched sending them all crashing to the floor with startled yelps and curses. McCoy bit back a pained yelp as his hands landed in glass. A crewman that saw him fall, cried out in alarm as Christine got to her feet. Swearing under his breath, Leonard let them help him off the floor while someone commed M’Benga. He sat on the biobed visually inspecting the crew in the medbay while Christine started picking glass out of his right hand. 

M’Benga entered the sick bay and began attending to the crewman still there then sending them out as freshly injured came in. The other two doctors onboard as well as several nurses and techs, came in to gather supplies and head out to attend injured on the ship. Leonard mentally urged Christine to hurry up so he could go to the bridge and be sure the command team was alright. 

She looked up from her work on his hands. “Relax, doctor. They’ll call if they need you.”

He gave her a half-heated glare. “I need to see for myself. You know that.”

“Yes, I do.” She quickly finished picking out the glass then washed his hands again and ran the dermal regenerator over them. When the machine beeped, she inspected his hands then gave him a thumbs up.

“Good as new.” She put her hand on his shoulder stopping him as he tried to hop off the biobed. 

“Let me up,” he demanded.

Christine held up the tricorder. “Let me check you over first. You had a nasty fall also.”

He lay back with a huff knowing she wouldn’t relent until he complied. She quickly ran the tricorder over him then smiled and help him sit up.

“All good,” she beamed.

“Bout time.” He grumbled while running into his office to grab his medical kit then dashed out of sick bay enroute to the bridge. He stopped several times to help injured crewman along the way. His nerves were beginning to fray. McCoy needed to get to the bridge and didn’t have time for this. He quickly patched up the cuts and bruises then made his way to the turbolift. 

"Thank god for small mercies," he muttered as it started up. He said a silent prayer that everyone was alright. When the turbo lift doors opened, his eyes went wide. Several panels were blacked out meaning they must have been fried. There were several monitors dangling from their wires and sparks flying about. Chekov and Sulu were frantically pushing buttons on blinking consoles. Uhura was attempting to hail any vessel within distance. Scotty and several engineers were putting out fires and working on wiring. Jim and Spock were huddled over a monitor at Spock’s station, speaking in hushed voices.

Shaking out of his shock, McCoy approached the first crewmember which happened to be Uhura. He put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to him. 

“Are you injured?” he asked.

She shook her head and gave him a small smile. “No, doctor. We’re all fine up here.”

He took out his tricorder and scanned her. “I’ll be the judge of that.” Seeing she was alright, he walked over to Sulu and Chekov and ran his tricorder over them. Other than accelerated pulses and adrenalin levels, they were all fine. Scotty had a minor bump on his forehead from hitting his head on a panel but otherwise was also fine. Jim had bruises on his hip and shoulder and a sore elbow from landing on his side when the ship pitched to one side while he was standing. Spock looked as unruffled and calm as ever.

“What the hell happened?” McCoy finally asked.

Jim crossed his arms over his chest. “We entered the neutral zone where we happened across the Romulans.”

McCoy's blue eyes widened owlishly. “Romulans? Again?!”

“We received intelligence they were developing a new weapon,” Spock replied. 

“Seriously?! But that’s a violation of the treaty!”

Spock gave him a half nod in agreement. “Precisely. When we reminded them of this, they opened fire on us.”

“I see. But what was that thing earlier?”

Jim and Spock exchanged glances but didn’t say anything. McCoy looked around the bridge. Everyone seemed frozen in place. This was bad. Jim walked up to him and grabbed him gently by his wrist. Whether it was to keep him calm or keep him in place, McCoy didn’t know. What he did know was that whatever this was, he was going to hate it.


	3. Thrown for  a Loop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just keep getting out of hand.

Jim gave him a lopsided grin. “The Romulans fired their weapon on us and it sent us hurtling through interdimensional space and we’ve somehow ended up here, where we are.” 

McCoy raised an incredulous brow at his captain. What kind of nonsense was he saying? He looked at Spock then back at Jim with a scowl. “I’m used to the hobgoblin speaking in circles but from you it’s just plain weird. Dammit, man! Speak English!” he growled.

Jim sighed all humor gone. “We were caught in a wormhole.”

“Wormhole?!” The doctor’s wide blue eyes went from the grim face of his captain to the expressionless one of his first officer. “What...what does this mean?”

“We’ve been ‘shot’ through one end of a wormhole and out the other.” Spock looked around the damaged bridge. “With the sensors and computers down, we have yet to ascertain where or even when we are,” Spock replied simply.

“What? Don’t you know anything?” McCoy’s mind began to runaway from him as he began to recall previous missions similar to this one. He shuddered. “Are we in the past again? Is this another alternate reality like the one where the hobgoblin had a beard?” 

God, he hoped not. His head began hurting just thinking about that other Spock from the ISS Enterprise clawing around inside his head. It took him weeks to get over that and for his Spock to repair the damage. The other Spock had not only rifled through his memories and mentally assaulted him, but he’d also planted suggestions in his brain that would have had McCoy sabotage the USS Enterprise and injure its crew.

Spock narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He recalled the incident with the ISS Enterprise also. It left a sour taste in his mouth. The doctor - his lover- had been mentally assaulted, one of the few crimes punished severely on his home world Vulcan. It had taken them several weeks to repair the damage and remove the suggestions planted in McCoy’s mind. The experience had left McCoy shy of mind-melding, something crucial to establishing a marriage bond in the future. “We are unsure.”

McCoy felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and leaned against the panel. Jumping out of bed to handle an emergency, being injured, and finding out all this on an empty stomach was no good. Jim and Spock were instantly there to try to catch him. He waved them off and forced himself to stand up straight. Self-diagnosing, he attributed his symptoms to lack of nutrients and low blood sugar. He needed to find something to eat on his way back to sickbay.

“‘M fine. Adrenalin crash is all,” McCoy heard himself mutter.

Jim touched his arm, hazel eyes full of concern. “Bones -”

McCoy pulled back and started for the lift. “I’m fine. I’m gonna get some coffee before I head back to sick bay.” He wagged his finger at Sulu. “Try to keep this tin can flying straight, will ya.”

“We’ll do our best, doctor,” Sulu assured him with a smile. 

He gave them a nod as he stepped into the turbo lift and pushed the button. Once the doors closed, he fell heavily into the wall of the lift and scrubbed a hand over his face. A wormhole! It was a miracle they survived. What were they going to do? How would they get back? With the dangerous and unstable nature of wormholes, could they even get back the way they came? 

The lift opened up and he proceeded to the mess hall. There weren’t many people in the officer’s mess since it was still early into alpha shift and most of the crew would be in their quarters or at their stations trying to get back on track. He quickly selected a bagel, yogurt, and fruit from the replicator along with a juice then found a seat tucked away in a corner. A few crewmen were sitting at another table talking animatedly amongst themselves. About all the rough riding the ship did earlier no doubt. An announcement would more than likely be made as soon as Jim and Spock figured out their circumstances in greater detail. 

McCoy snorted. What a shit storm that was going to be. Over four hundred crewman of all ages, genders, and species flung through a wormhole heavens knew where or for how long. Sick bay and the counseling offices were going to be full of anxious, emotionally compromised crewmembers. He sighed and hurriedly finished his breakfast. He would need to go over the inventory of antianxiety and antidepressant medications on stock. There was no doubt in his mind they’d need it. 

When he returned to sick bay, he locked himself in his office and began to go over medication inventory logs with a reminder to himself to conduct a manual count with Christine later. He filed reports of injuries from earlier then assisted Christine with a few pre-scheduled appointments, thankful there were no surgeries. M’Benga and the other staff that had come in for the emergencies, filed their reports then returned to their quarters to get rest for their upcoming shifts. 

By the time lunch arrived, there still was no word from the bridge. McCoy and Christine went for a quick bite then returned. When he sat down at his desk, there was a message on the comm from Spock letting him know there was going to be a meeting with all department heads at 1400. That left him with an hour to kill so he turned on the computer intending to go over his schedule for the next few days. Five minutes into his reading, his eyes grew heavy and he put his head on his desk intending to take a ten minute power nap.

“Doctor McCoy!”

Said doctor jerked awake with a start, looking around with unfocused eyes. He put a hand over his thundering heart and glared as his vision cleared. Christine stood in front of his desk with her hands on her hips. She had a frown on her face and huffed with exasperation. McCoy quickly straightened out his shirt that had ridden up while he slept, and made sure his hair was presentable.

“Are you alright? Your com has been going off for ten minutes and I’ve been standing here calling your name for the last five.”

Shit. He rubbed his face with both hands trying to rub away the exhaustion. He cleared his throat and stood from his desk. “Sorry ‘bout that. Guess I’m a little more tuckered out than I thought.”

She followed him out of the office into the sickbay. “Maybe you should go to your quarters and get some rest.”

“I’ll rest later. I gotta get to that meetin’.”

“You’re late, by the way,” she replied looking through a chart.

His eyes widened as he whipped around to look at the chronometer. “What?!”

“They sent me in here when you didn’t answer your comms.”

“Shit!” He ran for the doors, calling thanks over his shoulder. No one would think much of his tardiness having been tardy a few times themselves but he could just see the disapproving quirk of Spock’s eyebrow and hear the condescending tone of his voice already. He exited the turbo lift and made his way briskly down the hall, steeling himself for whatever was to be said. He decided to focus on the briefing and return to sickbay before calling it an early night.

The doors whooshed open and only a few heads turned his way. Chekov and Scotty were conversing among themselves while Sulu was trying to put the moves on Uhura. McCoy had his suspicions it was all for show and the helmsman’s true romantic affections lay elsewhere. Jim looked at him with raised eyebrows and a tired smile on his face.

Spock tilted his head to the side. “Doctor, are you aware you are 15.912 minutes late?”

McCoy rolled his eyes. Why couldn’t the vulcan just round up to the nearest whole number like normal folk? He flopped down in his seat. Before he could respond with a sarcastic retort, Jim spoke.

“Now that the good doctor has joined us, let us begin.”

McCoy felt heat rise to his cheeks at the reprimand disguised as a light-hearted joke. He wasn’t late as often as others and felt minor embarrassment at it being pointed out. Spock tapped a button on the unit in front of himself and a screen popped up at the end of the room. McCoy took a look at the star chart displayed and frowned. It was the same star chart of their solar system he’d seen seemingly forever. 

Spock stood and clasped his hands behind his back. “As you all know by now, we encountered the Romulans in the neutral zone right before the start of alpha shift at 0530. A strange energy signature was detected by our sensors indicating a weapon or power source of some kind we were unfamiliar with. Lieutenant Uhura attempted to establish communication but they did not respond. We apprised Starfleet of the situation and requested orders on how we should proceed. As we were waiting for a response, the Romulans opened fire.”

McCoy’s eyes were drawn back to the screen. It was an image of the Enterprise and a Romulan vessel engaged in a firefight. He noticed the section Spock referred to that was attacked was on the same side as his quarters. That explained the rocking. But what happened to the shields?

“One of their torpedoes disabled the shields on the port side of the ship,” Spock answered as if the question were spoken aloud. “Before we could get the shields back up, they bombarded us with several blasts before we were hit with their new weapon.”

On the screen, the Enterprise was engulfed in a red light. The ship flickered and wavered like an old Earth television set with bad reception in a rainstorm. Then it disappeared from the screen only to reappear seconds later but the Romulan vessel was nowhere to be seen. 

Spock shut the screen off and all eyes turned to him. “We managed to finally pick up a message from the local space authority. A vessel will rendezvous with us in the next three hours.”

Uhura leaned forward. “What exactly happened to us?”

“All data we have been able to collect lead us to the conclusion we have traveled through a wormhole. Fortunately, we have landed in the same solar system as our own,” Spock replied.

There were a few sighs of relief but McCoy knew better. Spock wasn’t telling them something. “Unfortunately?”

Spock raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t understand. “Doctor?”

McCoy noticed everyone’s eyes were on him. He swallowed thickly then spoke a little louder. “You said ‘fortunately, we have landed in the same solar system.’” He noticed the subtle flicker in Spock’s dark brown eyes before they flitted over to Jim.

Jim leaned forward and looked around the table. Spock took his seat as he began to talk. “There’s no easy way to say this.”

McCoy clasped his hands tightly in his lap, bracing himself for the whopper coming his way.

“We seem to have landed in the same solar system only in the future,” Jim said. 

The doctor’s eyes widened. The future!? How far? Could they get back? How would their presence affect the timeline? 

Jim held his hands up stopping any questions. “We’re hoping the crew of the ship set to rendezvous with us will have the know-how to help us get back.”

“Does Starfleet even exist in this time?” Chekov asked looking around at the senior officers. Uhura shrugged. The organization hadn't identified themselves as such. 

“Who exactly is coming for us, captain?” Sulu asked.

Jim smirked. “The USS Enterprise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I give props to those that do NaNoWriMo often. It's serious work!
> 
> I know that there are a lot of 'colorful metaphors' to make Star Trek more modern and appeal to today's crowd, but I kinda like how they kept things relatively clean.


	4. Like Looking in a Mirror

The crew were quiet as the news sank in. McCoy felt a mixture of apprehension and curiosity set in. They would be meeting the crew of another Enterprise. Would they be ultra advanced and peaceful making the crew look like bumbling neanderthals? Or would they be worse than the vicious, blood thirsty, and cutthroat crew of the ISS Enterprise? He shivered. Scotty patted his back. It appeared the Scotsman remembered their encounter as well.

McCoy licked his dry lips. “Captain, do ya spose it’s wise we take such a...carefree approach to this whole meeting the Enterprise thing?” 

Jim leaned back in his seat. “Why do you say that, Bones?”

“Well, I mean the last time we ran into an Enterprise and her crew it didn’t turn out so well.”

“Aye, cap’n. Doctor McCoy’s got a point,” Scotty agreed. “The Enterprise took quite a poundin’. Tha shields are operatin’ at forteh percent and we lost tha targetin’ system for tha torpedoes. We might find ourselves in a tight spot with nary a way ta defend ourselves.”

Lieutenant Giotto, head of security, spoke up. “It would be best if the crew armed themselves with phasers to stun just until we determine whether or not this new Enterprise poses a threat.”

“If this future is more advanced than our own, it is quite possible our weapons will have no effect,” Spock pointed out. 

McCoy sat quietly. All of this was above his level. He was a doctor, not a weapons specialist. 

“Gentlemen, we’re looking at this all wrong.”

McCoy and Spock exchanged glances. 

“You’re forgetting our mission.” He looked around waiting for them to catch on to his train of thought.

“Our mission, to seek out new life and civilizations and to BOLDLY go where no one has gone before.”

Sulu and Scotty began to chuckle. Uhura smiled and shook her head. 

“God, save me from insufferable fools,” McCoy muttered rolling his eyes.

Chekov glanced down the table before putting a hand up to hide his mouth as he looked at the doctor. “Ze keptin has lost is mind.”

The crew laughed loudly while Spock simply raised an eyebrow at their antics. To anyone else it would seem as though the vulcan had no sense of humor. McCoy saw the slight quirk of the corner of his upper lip, as close to a laugh as Spock would give under normal circumstances. Jim also joined in the laughter, the tension from earlier leaving his shoulders. 

Two hours later, McCoy was standing behind Jim’s seat on the bridge arguing with Spock, as was usual. It was lighter than usual, neither of them trying to engage in anything too serious before the arrival of the other Enterprise. Chekov and Scotty were discussing the pros and cons of Vodka and Scotch. Both, of course, were invented in Russia according to the young navigator and therefore equally satisfying. Jim sat in his chair eyeing it all with a smile, adding his two cents now and again.

“Captain, we’re being hailed.”

McCoy’s stomach began to flutter in anticipation. Jim’s smile dimmed slightly. He turned in the chair slightly to look at her.

“Who is it?”

“The Enterprise, sir,” she replied.

He sighed and spun back around. “On the viewscreen.” 

The image of the other Enterprise's bridge filled the forward viewscreen. McCoy didn’t know about the others but he definitely wasn’t expecting to see a younger version of himself standing behind a younger version of Jim next to a younger version of Spock. This time’s Enterprise also had a younger version of Uhura, Chekov, Sulu, and Scotty. Everyone wore the same shocked expressions. His version of Spock and the other Spock took a few steps closer to the view screen.

“Fascinating.” They both said at the same time. 

McCoy rolled his eyes. Hobgoblins were the same in every time, it seemed. “Fascinating isn’t the word I’d use. Creepy, weird.”

“Eerie, bizarre,” the other McCoy added. 

“Captain," Jim cut in. He was amused that the other McCoy was just as grumpy as his own. "Our transporter room is standing by to beam you and your landing party over so we can discuss these,” he looked at his McCoy. “-weird and bizarre circumstances in which we’ve found ourselves. Perhaps between our two crews we can find a solution that will return us back to our own time and space.”

The other Jim smiled and nodded. “Very well, captain. We will see you shortly. Kirk out.”

Uhura shut the connection and Jim turned to his crew.

“That was a might creepy, cap’n,” Scotty shuddered.

“You’re telling me. I’ve got blue eyes.” He looked at McCoy. “And you’ve got hazel.”

McCoy scowled. “I like my baby blues just fine, thank you very much.”

“I admit, they are quite lovely,” Jim flirted. 

McCoy felt his cheeks warming as his heart fluttered. Jim didn’t normally flirt on the bridge out in the open. Not that their relationship was a secret. But still.

“Gentlemen, should we make our way to the transporter room?” Spock interrupted. “We wouldn’t want to keep the captain and his crew waiting.”

Jim’s eyes roved over their third. “Right as always, Mr. Spock.” He stood from his chair and pulled down his shirt. “Scotty, Bones, Spock - with me. Sulu, you have the con.”

McCoy stood to the back of the turbolift. As it carried them down to the transporter deck the others engaged in quiet chatter while he immersed himself in his thoughts. From the view they got of the bridge, everything was brighter, shinier, and bigger. There were more stations and personnel on the bridge in this time than theirs. He could only imagine how fancy their sick bay must be. The machines must work twice as fast as the ones in his sick bay and heal just as quick. Hell, the equipment in his sick bay might even be obsolete. 

“Doctor?”

He blinked a few times then looked around. Everyone was standing in the hall waiting on him. He yanked the front of his shirt down as if it were out of place and stepped out.

“What’s the matter? Never seen a man lost in thought before?” he grumbled.

Used to his ways, they ignored him and made their way down the hall to the transporter room. Scotty stood beside the transporter operator. Spock assumed his normal hands behind his back position next to Jim while McCoy stood midway between the door and the transporter control panel. Jim looked at all of them before turning to the operator.

“Energize.”

The familiar golden light filled the transporter spots as the other Enterprise’s crewmembers rematerialized on the pad. Everyone held their breath as they solidified. The tech did a double take, looked back to his crew, then did another double take before deciding to keep his eyes on the panel and play with the knobs. He learned early on in their five year mission that weird stuff just happened and not to question it.

For a while no one from either crew spoke as they took each other in. The younger McCoy was a little taller and more muscular. Jim’s double was also a few inches taller and thinner while Spock was...Spock- just more pale. Scotty not only was of slighter build but was also paler, his hair was lighter, and his eyes were a grey-blue. Both Scotsmen put a hand to their cheek as they looked at the other in surprise. 

The two McCoys regarded each other with a hand on their chin and arm crossed over their belly. The two Jims seemed to think it was exciting to meet another version of themselves that wasn’t a maniacal, power hungry, cutthroat. The two Spocks quirked an eyebrow.

“Fascinating.”


	5. Doctor to Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> McCoy doesn't take kindly to anyone insulting his sickbay. Even himself.

They spoke with their counterparts as they toured the Enterprise. Both were two years into their second five year mission. Even though more advanced technologically, McCoy and his crew were shocked to discover they went from stardate 2274 to 2267 - seven years in the  _ past _ and not the future as they had thought. Their counterparts were also younger. 

McCoy was 47 and his counterpart was 34. He had served with  _ his _ James T. Kirk for nine years, while younger him had served with his James T. Kirk for ten years.  _ His _ Spock joined the Enterprise in 2254 and was on the Enterprise when Jim took over in 2264. Younger Spock had joined the Enterprise at the same time as younger Jim and McCoy in 2258 meaning he’d also only been onboard for ten years.  _ His _ Spock had been on Enterprise for two decades in their own time.

_ Romulans. Wormhole. Thrown in the past. Alternate younger versions of themselves. Yet, technology so advanced it made their ship look like a museum piece. _

McCoy felt like the temperature began to rise as his brain raced to process what all of this meant for their future. What if they couldn't get back? What if they'd altered their own time? Starfleet didn't look too kindly on temporal violations. 

His shirt felt like it was sticking to his skin and he tugged at his collar to get some air on his overheating skin. There was so much to process. He stumbled as his legs turned to jelly. Younger McCoy wrapped an arm around his waist and kept him from falling.

“Easy there, doctor.”

McCoy closed his eyes as his stomach churned and his throat began to feel like it was on fire. ‘Please don’t let me throw up. Or worse, pass out,’ he prayed. He took a deep breath of air and willed himself to stay upright. “I’m fine. This is all alot to take in is all.” He opened his eyes to see everyone watching the two.

“Maybe you should take a trip to sick bay,” Jim suggested. “Show...Doctor McCoy around.”

“He’s a doctor not a tour guide,” Younger McCoy grumbled. The two Scotty’s smirked. Both Spocks cocked a brow. The two Jims were smiling, teeth on display.

McCoy beamed with pride. “Couldn’t’a said it better myself.” Finally! Someone who understood what he’d been saying all along. “Doctor, if you’ll follow me.”

“Right behind you, doctor.”

They discussed different missions they’d been on the first five years. In this time, Jim almost lost his chance to become a starship captain for cheating on the Kobayashi Maru. He’d also had a rough start with Spock who had marooned and later choked him.

Being from Vulcan, Spock was almost five times stronger than humans. He’d seen Spock effortlessly carry two injured crewman, while running, without breaking a sweat or heavy breathing. He’d seen Spock lift large boulders, bend pipes, and crush objects like it was child’s play. He’d also felt the soft gentle touches of those hands on his body, touching him just right and making him fall apart only to be put back together by them. He could only imagine what it would be like to have those long delicate fingers wrapped around his neck in raw unbridled fury. McCoy grimaced as he rubbed his throat. 

They entered sick bay and McCoy stood with his hands behind his back. It was clean and orderly just as he’d left it. Christine and a tech were the only ones in there doing inventory. They looked up at the two McCoys in surprise then went back to their work. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest as younger McCoy walked around and looked at his pride and joy.

“So what do you think?” McCoy asked after a while.

Younger McCoy looked affronted. “This place is ancient!”

Heat rushed into McCoy’s face. The sheer nerve! Insulting his sick bay was like insulting the Enterprise in front of Scotty. He uncrossed his arms and stepped closer to the other doctor. “This is state of the art equipment. Top of the line in 24th century medicine,” he said with a raised voice.

Younger McCoy crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s top of the line alright. A hundred years ago. This stuff doesn’t belong in a sick bay. It belongs in a museum.”

McCoy laughed to himself. If he were on the other end of this situation he'd say the same thing. “Now you’re just being nasty.”

Younger McCoy picked up the tricorder with confusion written on his face. “How do you even use this thing?”

“Give me that!” McCoy snatched it from him and pulled out the scanner. He waved the small silver device over his counterpart’s head, chest, and stomach. Then he looked at the display on the device and nodded in satisfaction.

“You’re healthy as a horse.”

The young doctor smirked. “Well, thank you. But we’re supposed to be checking on _ you _ .”

“There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m as fit as a fiddle,” McCoy smiled bouncing on his toes.

“Then you won’t mind if I take a look.”

He didn’t need anyone to look over him. He was fine considering the circumstances. This was normal. McCoy got angry all over again. “Yes, dammit! I  _ do _ mind. I’m a doctor! I know what I’m doing.”

“You are under orders,  _ doctor _ ,” younger McCoy reminded him.

McCoy flinched. He’d nearly forgotten that part. Although Jim said it with a smile and that twinkle in his eye he gets when something is slightly amusing. He could pretend they were merely a  _ suggestion. _

“I’m sure you wouldn’t like Spock to know you disobeyed orders.”

The green blooded menace to his sanity would definitely consider what Jim said to be orders and brow beat him into submission if he didn't obey. McCoy roughly shoved the tricorder into to younger McCoy’s chest. “Fine! Let’s hurry and get this over with.”

Younger frowned and quickly passed the tricorder back as if it was too hot to touch. “Oh, no. I’d rather examine you in my own sick bay, thank you kindly.”

“Now you see here -!”

“Doctor,” Christine’s voice interrupted the two glaring men. She smiled when the two doctors turned her way. It was uncanny how alike they were. Although there were some variants in their physical appearance, they were so similar in demeanor they could almost be interchangeable. “Perhaps it would be a good idea to go to the other ship.”

He glared at his nurse. “Whose side are you on?”

She batted her lashes and smiled sweetly. “Whichever side gets you out of sickbay so we can work in peace.”

McCoy clenched his teeth together while the younger chuckled and turned to him with a smirk. 

“I like her.”

“Yeah? Well you can have her,” McCoy grumbled grabbing his med kit off the desk. He probably wouldn’t need it but he felt more secure having it. He’d be going over to the other ship by himself. That triggered a whole 'nother level of anxiety. A hand landed on his shoulder and lightly squeezed.

“Don’t worry. We’ll beam straight to sickbay.”

McCoy rolled his shoulders. “Who’s worried. Let’s just get this over with.” His pulse quickened and his breathing sped up in proportion. Great, now he had to use their version of transporters too. He barely trusted his own time period's transporters. It didn't happen often, but people still wound up scrambled all over the galaxy. Or worse, found themselves in alternate dimensions. 

The irony!

He tried to talk himself down from the cliff of panic. He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe deeply. The familiar tingling took over his body and for a moment he stopped thinking as the transporter pulled him apart, molecule by molecule. 

Oh, how he hated transporters. His stomach did a flip as they rematerialized in the med bay. He felt woozy and chilled as if all the blood had drained from his body. The med bay appeared empty and this reality’s version of Christine was there waiting to help usher him into a private room near the CMO’s office. He had to admit, he was grateful for that. The less people that saw him in a moment of weakness, the better.

He groaned softly as he rolled onto the biobed and closed his eyes. Something cool and moist dabbed at his sweaty face and he sighed with relief. He heard the hiss of a hypospray and melted into the bed as his body relaxed.

It was quiet for a few moments and he rubbed small circles over his stomach as if to calm things down. He couldn’t figure out which was worse - the wormhole ride, being thrown into an alternate reality- _ again _ , or seeing a younger version of himself that was just as damn grumpy.

“So how far along?”

His eyes snapped open and he bolted upright. The room seemed to tilt taking him with it. The urge to throw up was suddenly quite strong. Younger McCoy put a hand on his shoulder and helped turn him on his side. He opened his eyes and saw a bin near his head just in case he decided to lose what little food he had.

“Easy there,” younger McCoy said rubbing his back. “The medication takes a minute to kick in.”

“I’m a doctor," McCoy muttered taking deep breaths. "I know that.”

Young McCoy crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow. “Uh huh. That’s why you did what you just did.”

McCoy opened his eyes and glanced over at the other McCoy. He had his arms crossed over his chest and watched him with hazel eyes. He noted they were a lot different from his Jim’s that were of a light brown with tinge of green versus young McCoy’s green with tinge of brown. Regardless of color, they were piercing and all knowing just like his own powder blues. And speaking of blue, could this reality’s Kirk’s blues be any brighter?

As the medicine finally kicked in and the nausea subsided, he slowly sat up and ran a hand through his mousy brown hair. A small sigh escaped his lips as he looked down at the floor. “Guess I can’t hide it much longer.”

“Nope.”

He sighed again and looked up. “I’m two months along.”

Young McCoy nodded. “Does anyone know?”

McCoy shook his head. “Nah. I just found out two days ago. We’ve all been so busy, just didn’t get a chance to tell them.”

The other McCoy’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “ _ Them _ ? You’re in a poly relationship?”

He nodded. “Is that not something that happens here?” He went on alert ready to defend his lifestyle. Not that he needed to. He was too old to give a damn what anyone thought.

Younger McCoy shrugged. “It does. But hell, I couldn’t handle being in a  _ monogamous  _ relationship nevermind a poly. That's just two more people to let down and argue with.”

McCoy chuckled. That had been his argument at first as well. But it went away in time. “I felt that way when we first started but it’s surprisingly easy with the right partners.”

“And who are your partners?”

McCoy wiggled his eyebrows. “Gettin’ a little personal now, ain’tcha?”

“Well, I’m your doctor. You shouldn’t have secrets from your doctor.”

“Ain’t that the truth! Funny how so many crewman try to get one over on their doc.”

Young McCoy gave him a stern look that was negated by his smile. “Like how you’re tryin’ to avoid the question.”

“Ya got me there.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “The captain and first officer are the fathers.”

“Spock! That green blooded, pointy-eared menace? That Spock?!” his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets and roll across the med bay floor.

“Now, now.” McCoy chuckled. “I’m surprised you’re more shocked about Spock than Jim.”

Other McCoy waved his comment aside. “Jim will bed anyone. He tried to get with me a dozen times at the academy. I can’t deal with his whorish ways.”

“If he’s anything like my Jim, it doesn’t settle down for some time.”

“I better buy stock in prophylactics and std medications. He’ll make me rich.”

A quiet settled over them then other McCoy pulled out his tricorder. “You want to do it or do you trust me? I  _ am _ you, after all.” He paused for a moment. "Sorta."

Temporal displacement and alternate realities were not his forte. He was a doctor, not a physicist. McCoy lay back and put his hands at his sides. “Ready when you are, doctor.”

“That’s so weird seeing me calling my own name." Young McCoy scanned him from head to toe, looking at the readings of the tricorder and comparing them with the readings of the biobed. "We should come up with another system.”

McCoy had to agree. It was a mouthful to say 'younger McCoy,' and 'other McCoy.' “Well, since we’re not really on duty until this is sorted, just call me Leonard.”

“Alright, Leonard.” McCoy looked down at the tricorder. “Everything looks normal. You need to up your caloric intake. No more caffeine as you already know. "

Leonard nodded. 

"Also, increase your copper intake. Vulcan children need more copper than what you normally produce so I’ll prescribe you a supplement. As long as you don’t become anemic and remain relatively stress free, things should progress just fine.”

Leonard snorted. “Stress free, he says,” he grumbled. “98% of my stress is caused by those two idiots. The other 2% by the idiotic things the crew does.”

McCoy laughed and shook his head. “Don’t I know it.” He tapped a button on the tricorder then turned it to Leonard with a smile. “Congratulations, doctor.”

Leonard’s mouth dropped open and his blue eyes widened as he reached for the tricorder. There on the little display, were two little blobs each surrounded by a thin ring. He raised a trembling hand to his mouth as his vision blurred. “Twins?”

McCoy nodded. “Twins.”

Leonard handed the scanner back to McCoy and covered his face with both hands. Twins! They could only hope for one to survive the process and take but two!? What would Jim and Spock think?

McCoy put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “When you return to your ship, you should go to your quarters and rest. You’ve had several shocks in one day. Remember, stress is no good for you.”

Leonard patted his hand and sighed. “I know. Thanks.” He got off the biobed and straightened out his clothes. The hits just kept on coming. The last thought he had as the transporter beam took him apart was,

"What am I gonna do now?" 


	6. News

Leonard returned to _his_ Enterprise feeling better and worse all at once. His experiment had been a little_ too_ successful. He was pregnant with twins! His medical equipment had only picked up one of the fetuses because its sibling was hiding behind it. Had it not been for the technology on the other Enterprise, who knows how long it would have been before the other twin was picked up on the scanners. Not only that, but it was because of the other scanners finding the other twin that they were able to figure out what was actually wrong with him and a course of treatment started to correct it. Serious harm could have come to the children and himself. 

He stepped into sick bay to document the incident in the experiment notes. Christine was waiting to hear what happened. When he told her, her eyes widened and she put a hand to her mouth.

“Doctor McCoy, I’m so sorry.” 

He waved his hand. Neither one of them had caught it. “Nonsense, Christine. None of us caught it. It was nobody’s fault.”

She brightened. “Well, it’s a good thing we ran into the other Enterprise. You could have passed out and gotten hurt.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Yeah. I guess.” As she walked away, he slunked into his office and sat at his desk. He couldn’t put his finger on why but he felt some type of way about the other Enterprise. She was so flashy and advanced. TMcCoy and his team's medical skills were leap years beyond his own. Even with all his accomplishments, it really made him look like the barbaric witch doctor Spock often mentioned. How could one compete with that? The sooner they got back to their own time, the better.

“Doctor McCoy?”

Leonard startled and put his hand over his heart. He looked up at his unannounced visitor with icy blue eyes. “Good god, man! Don’t you know how to knock?”

Spock’s brows raised and the corner of his lips lifted slightly. “The door was open. I assumed it would be acceptable to enter. If this is not the case, perhaps it would make more sense to lock the door.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Leonard huffed. He leaned back in his seat and folded his hands in his lap. “What can I do for you, Mr. Spock?”

Spock walked into the room until he stood in front of the desk. His eyes raked over Leonard’s body from top to bottom before he spoke. “I wished to inquire if you would be interested in dinner this evening. It has been several days since the three of us sat down together.”

It was longer than that, Leonard thought but he smiled and nodded. “I’d like that.”

“My quarters after shift?”

Leonard gave him a blinding smile. “I’ll be there with bells and whistles.”

Spock’s brows drew together like they often did when McCoy said something he didn’t understand. “Why would you need to adorn yourself with bells and whistles? Would they not be noisy and difficult to attach to your person?”

Leonard’s smile widened. Sometimes Spock was just too cute with his literal interpretations of idioms and expressions. “It just means I’ll be all prettied up.”

Spock gave a half nod in understanding. “If I may, there is no need for you to exert yourself.”

Leonard frowned. Was Spock trying to start something? He looked down as long, slender fingers briefly brushed across the back of his hand. His eyes met Spock’s molten chocolate gaze.

His voice seemed to deepen making Leonard's body tingle. “You are already aesthetically pleasing, ashayam. To do any more would be superfluous.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked out.

Leonard’s cheeks burst into flame as he stared at the door, mouth hanging open. Spock just flirted with him during duty hours! Not only that, he complimented him. His heart was racing in his chest. Damn romantic hobgoblin! He groaned and scrubbed his face with both hands. 

A fluttering in his abdomen gave him pause. A smile split his face as he pressed a hand to his stomach. He would them tonight. Just as quick as his joy came, it evaporated and he rubbed his bottom lip in thought. He was only eight weeks. Quickening shouldn’t have occurred for another five weeks.

Unless…

No way his timing could be off. In a frantic, he pulled up all of his records and logs along with the calendar. He even ran the tricorder over his abdomen after adjusting the settings so it had a wider scan field. An hour passed and he was still puzzled. How could he be further along in the pregnancy? The falutero, false uterus, and ovum hadn’t been implanted until ten weeks ago and the three of them had been too busy to copulate until a week later. So how?

He rubbed his stomach as his mind turned over and analyzed all the variables. Sure, he’d been gaining weight, Jim had even pointed that out, but he didn’t have much of a baby pudge. Most of the weight had settled on his hips, thighs, and backside much to Jim’s delight. His little pudge he had attributed to too much food and not enough exercise. He'd been working too much with a shipwide flu then relief efforts on a colony. He just didn't have the energy. Since it hadn’t gotten any bigger, he’d dismissed it as a pregnancy symptom. 

A lightbulb went off in his head and he immediately hit M’Benga up on the comm. The other doctor didn’t answer. Leonard looked at the time. It was nearly time for shift change. He flopped back in his chair with a huff and closed his eyes. With his extensive knowledge on vulcan physiology, M’Benga would be the best person to ask about his hypothesis.

The chime to Spock’s room went off fifteen minutes after end of shift. It wasn’t unusual for Leonard to be late getting off duty. Last minute accidents were par for the course for a ship’s doctor. Jim and Spock were sitting to a game of chess while they waited.

Leonard walked in on legs weighed down by concrete. He mumbled his greetings then sat on the sofa with a pillow to his chest. Jim and Spock exchanged glances. 

“Long day, Bones?” Jim asked walking over to the sofa.

“Uh yeah.” Long day? It felt like a long _ year _ . His head hadn’t stop reeling from what he’d heard from M’Benga. He gripped the pillow tighter. “Yeah, you could say that, Jim.”

“Join me in a drink?”

Leonard’s head jerked up and he met Jim’s eyes. He couldn’t drink anymore. How was he going to hide that from h im? “Um. No. I’ll pass.”

Jim crossed his arms over his chest and scrutinized him. “You look a little...ragged around the edges. Perhaps we should postpone tonight.”

“No. Not at all. I’m tired, sure, but that’s no reason to cancel tonight.” He really wanted to see them. They hadn’t spent any time together and he needed to let them know the news.

“You sure?”

Leonard took Jim’s hand in his and nodded. “Our schedules haven’t lined up in so long with all our duties, research, and this craziness.”

Spock chimed in, looking at him with a small smile. “I concur. Jim and I see each other every day on the bridge. Your...presence has been missed.”

Leonard smiled and stood. He loved how much they worried and cared for him. It gave him reassurance that even if they couldn’t be together every day, their relationship would remain solid. He kissed Jim on the lips then turned to kiss Spock when the comm went off. He groaned loudly.

_ “Pardon the interruption, commander.” _

Spock straightened his posture and clasped his hands behind his back as if someone could see him. “Go ahead.”

_ “The other Spock from the Enterprise commed and said he urgently needed to see you on their ship.” _

Leonard clenched his teeth together trying to keep the colorful words he wanted to say from spilling out. Why? Why did this happen Every. Single. Time. Spock was watching him quietly.

“Can it wait a few moments?” Leonard asked. Spock opened his mouth to answer when the comms went off again.

_ “Bridge to Captain Kirk.” _

That fluttering feeling was back but he doubted it was the two lifeforms growing in his belly.

Jim gently took hold of his wrist and squeezed as an apology. “Kirk here.”

_ “The other Captain Kirk is requesting your presence as well.” _

Leonard’s fists balled up at his sides. He should have never joined Starfleet. Why was the universe out to get him? Jim rubbed his arm and gave him that charming smile that won over diplomats, made his enemies happy he was their adversary, and women fall into his arms.

“Sorry, Bones. Duty calls.”

He lowered his head. “Yeah. I know.” It’s not that he didn’t understand. He understood more than anyone else. But  he _ needed_ them. Right now. As boyfriends, lovers, the fathers of his children to reassure him that everything would be alright. That they and their children would be alright no matter what happened.

Jim kissed his cheek. “We may not be back until later. Get some rest. We need our CMO in top shape.”

Leonard forced a smile on his face. “You two don’t stay over too long. You’ve been pulling eighteen hour shifts.” He wagged his finger at both of them. “Don’t think I haven’t seen the duty rosters.”

“Can’t pull one over on you, Bones.”

“Damn straight.”

Spock gently touched his elbow as he walked by. “Until tomorrow.”

Leonard nodded. “See you then.” He watched them leave Spock’s quarters then sank into the couch. So close! At this rate, he’d be round and showing before he could tell them. He considered putting his news in a message and sending it over the computer. The thought was quickly dismissed. Jim would be more focused on being told the news in an impersonal manner versus the news itself.

With a sigh he rose to his feet and left Spock’s cabin. He was determined, come hell or high water, he’d tell them the next time the three of them were together.


	7. Deja Vu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is this so familiar?

Jim, Spock, and Scotty were gone for nearly three days. No one on either Enterprise knew what was happening. Once his Enterprise crew beamed over to the other Enterprise, they’d boarded a shuttle and headed off for a top secret destination. Whatever was going on was extremely cloak and dagger. All they knew for sure was it involved what was left of this time’s Vulcan Science Academy, Starfleet brass, and scientists from across the federation. 

Leonard didn’t like it one bit and threw himself into his work to keep his mind occupied. They’d been separated on missions and trainings before. But this one made him more nervous than most. They’d always managed to pull themselves out of whatever sticky mess they’d gotten into with little help. Having to call in so many others and risk contaminating their timeline and reality with things they’d learned must mean things were more precarious than they initially thought.

He didn’t have much time for thinking. Accidents in every department rose almost two fold after they’d left. Seemed he wasn’t the only one distracted by their situation. He treated more cuts, burns, bumps, bruises, and broken bones or sprains than he had during the rough ride through the wormhole. There were several crewmen treated for inhalation issues when there was an accident in one of the labs. There was even an uptick in crewman getting electrocuted, needing medications for anxiety, and treatments for gastrointestinal issues caused by stress. 

He was in the middle of a minor surgery, when Christine appeared at the observation window. She rarely bothered him in surgeries if she wasn’t assisting. He looked up and arched a brow in question. She had a slight smile on her face as she held up a padd. His sour mood lifted and a smile lit up his eyes as he read the words.

They’re back.

Not that he got to see them. A hull breach followed by a mini-explosion took them away the minute they were on board. Five crewmen had come in with burns of various degrees and another was carried in after he was crushed by a support beam. He died twelve hours later. A senior staff meeting of both crews was called a week after they landed in the alternate reality. Jim and Spock had been going non-stop back and forth between the two Enterprises after their top-secret meeting. They were both beginning to look worse for wear, Jim more so than Spock. Leonard had moved his things out of Jim’s and back into his own quarters so the two could catch up on what little rest they were able to get whenever they could get it. 

With the change in his diet and increase in supplements, Leonard was experiencing morning sickness every other day or so and his pudge was getting bigger. M’Benga had informed him that his twin sons were growing fast but were doing well. Being part vulcan, they’d guesstimated the twins would be larger than a normal human singlet but still smaller than a full blooded vulcan. Since he was an older man carrying larger children - something his body wasn’t designed to do - they decided he would go on bedrest for the last ten weeks of his pregnancy with a cesarean planned at 38 weeks if Leonard’s health remained optimal and no pregnancy complications arose.

He cursed himself for oversleeping as he headed to the ready room carrying a small bowl of grapes and crackers from the replicator in his quarters to settle his stomach. The first stop on his list after the meeting was the mess for a full meal. The little hobgoblins wrecked havoc on his metabolism and he had to consume more at each meal and have mini-meals in between. Ignoring the looks he was getting for his tardiness, he took a seat between his Scotty and Sulu. Jim gave him a cursory glance then turned back to younger Kirk while his Spock gave him a raised eyebrow.

“Missed breakfast, doctor?” Spock asked eyeing his bowl of grapes.

Leonard shrugged. “Sorta. Bit of an upset stomach is all.” As if to back up their father’s claim, the twins fluttered about making him put his hand over his belly. He was glad he’d ordered larger shirts a while back. They kept his stomach hidden.

“Am I to assume this is something new?” Spock prodded.

“It is but not something unmanageable.” He glanced across the table at McCoy for help.

“It’s not life threatening, commander,” McCoy replied. “Doctor McCoy is just adjusting.”

“Should we not have been notified?”

By now several others were watching the exchange and Leonard was getting agitated. He didn’t want to do this here or now. “As he said, Mr. Spock, it’s not life threatening therefore, there was-is no reason to worry so we should just drop it.”

“On the contrary, doctor. Crew health falls under the purview of the first officer. If something is wrong with the crew, especially its Chief Medical Officer, I should - “

Jim cut in. “Gentlemen, you can discuss Dr. McCoy’s neglect in informing us of his illness after we discuss what we’re here to discuss.” He looked at McCoy with a hardened gaze.

“Apologies, captain.”

Leonard sunk in his seat, appetite gone. This meant a serious discussion later on he wasn’t sure he wanted to have. “Sorry, Jim.”

Jim stood at his seat and looked around at the assembled officers. “As we all know, thanks to the Romulans and their weapon, the Enterprise was sent through a wormhole into an alternate reality in the past. We have been working with scientists from Starfleet, the Vulcan colony, and other scientists all over the federation to try and replicate the conditions that brought us here.” He looked down at the table. “There hasn’t been any success.”

“Captain, what does that mean?” Sulu asked to Leonard’s right.

Spock turned in his seat to face him. “That means, Mr. Sulu, that we’re ‘stuck’ here - in this time.”

Uhura and Checkov gasped. Leonard and Scotty looked at each other. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. 

“You can’t be serious!”

“Quite serious, doctor.”

Leonard looked around the room. Chekov had his arm around Uhura’s shoulders who had her head in her hands. Scotty’s lips had disappeared into a thin line. Sulu was rubbing his hands together in thought. There were looks of pity and resignation from the other Enterprise crew. Even McCoy seemed saddened by the news. 

Were they giving up already? He turned his gaze onto his Spock. “We can’t stay here. We have to get back to our own time.” There had to be something. What’s the point of being so technologically advanced if you couldn’t even time travel and send people back to their own time? His relic of an Enterprise had done it twice! He scoffed to himself. So much for technology.

Spock pulled up a screen in the center of the table. A simulation of a wormhole with a ship entering appeared. Halfway through traversing the wormhole, the ship began to disintegrate. There were gasps around the room. 

“We ran several thousand simulations,” Spock explained. “Even the most minute miscalculation, we could be destroyed by entering the wormhole, be thrown into another reality much worse than this one, or find ourselves in a completely different time period - one which may not even have the technology or resources for us to replicate another attempt.” 

Leonard’s heart sank into his stomach. “But…What about that slingshot thing . We’ve done it twice before.” He knew he was grasping at straws but he had to try something.

Scotty stood up beside him and picked up the padd in front of him. A schematic of the Enterprise showed up on a screen beside Spock’s simulation. She was outlined with a soft orange but there were gaps in the orange. “Tha Enterprise took quite a poundin’ goin’ through tha wormhole.” He tapped the padd again and the image enlarged. In the sections where the orange was missing, the hull of the ship looked porous like a sponge.

“There’r sections of tha Enterprise that ‘ave begun to disintegrate,” Scotty said gravely.

Leonard’s eyes widened.

“An’ we don’ know ‘ow ta stop it,” the other Scotty added. No one said a word after that.

There was a minute flicker of hopelessness in Spock’s eyes as he looked at Leonard. “I know it is hard to accept that we will never see our families again, but the risk is just too great.” He turned back to the front of the room as younger Kirk began to talk.

Leonard covered his face with his hands. They were trapped here. He’d never see Joanna again. The crew would never see their families. He felt tears prick his eyes and a heavy hand landed on his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. Someone else was sniffling. Someone else was talking. He heard the words,

“This Enterprise is to be decomissioned,” 

and promptly, but quietly, lost it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying my hardest to stay true to their accents and speech patterns. If you see mistakes, let me know. Thanks!


	8. Altered Destiny

There was a tingling around his mouth and he closed his eyes as blood rushed through his ears. He heard voices talking but they sounded like they were underwater. His body was cold and he began to shake. His stomach began to churn as the taste of iron filled his mouth. 

He felt himself tugged out of his seat and half dragged from the room. Someone was calling his name and several people stood from their seats. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he nearly hit the deck but was held up by arms on either side. He vaguely registered lights overhead and a few crewmembers before a door swished open and he was dropped into a chair. He leaned forward and laid his head on the cool surface of a table. 

There was pressure against the side of his neck and the hiss of a hypospray. He heard the sound of the tricorder as it scanned him and the haziness and nausea began to clear. McCoy cursed under his breath and dug around in his medkit. Seems all McCoys liked their medkits. There was another hiss and the tingling and cold chill went away.

“Dammit, man! We talked about how important consuming enough calories during pregnancy was important. Especially with twins. You’re hypoglycemic. Are you a doctor or what?!” McCoy ranted. 

Heart rate back to normal, irritability set in. He may not have been a doctor by their standards but he  _ was _ a doctor and a highly successful and well renowned one in his  _ own _ time and reality. He didn’t need a lecture from a flashy doppleganger. He just didn’t have time to get something to eat before the damned meeting. Leonard sat up and glared at the younger man. “I know that. I woke up late. Sue me.” 

“I do not mean to interrupt,” 

Two sets of blazing eyes landed upon the young commander. Were he a lesser being, he’d have been cowed into silence. To his merit, Spock ignored their looks and carried on.

“Can you kindly explain how Doctor McCoy-”

“Leonard,” both snapped cutting him off.

He pursed his lips together, as close to a sigh as he’d get. “Can you kindly explain how  _ Leonard _ is pregnant?” He looked between the two doctors who looked at each other as if to say ‘ _ you _ tell him.’ When neither of them offered an explanation, he continued. “As far as I can recall, most human males cannot bear children with the exception of those who are intersexed.”

Leonard stood up and began to pace. He had wanted to explain it to his own captain and first officer before he told anyone else. But if he knew his Spocks, he wouldn’t be able to leave this room without an explanation. He clasped his hands behind his back and took several deep breaths. “We conducted an experiment and implanted an artificial womb into a male along with an ovum created using stem cells.” 

Young Spock’s eyebrows seemed to disappear under his neatly cut bangs. “You experimented on yourself?”

Leonard nodded in confirmation. “I did.”

Spock tilted his head to the side and studied him a moment. “Does your captain know?”

“No one knows. The pregnancy wasn’t detected until two days before we found ourselves in your lovely timeline.”

McCoy spoke up. “And we expect _you_ to keep your mouth shut.”

“Need I remind you that as first officer - “

McCoy put his hands on his hips. “You’re not  _ his _ first officer and while he is here on this ship he is  _ my _ patient and I have an obligation to maintain his confidentiality.”

Spock’s eyebrows drew down. “Dr. McCoy, I protest. As per regulation - ”

Leonard crossed his arms over his chest. Spock was a hard ass no matter time, age, or reality. A cosmic flaw. “I admire your...adherence to regulation, commander, but frankly this is none of anyone’s damn business. It’s  _ my _ body,  _ my  _ decision. I’ll tell my captain when I’m good and goddamned ready.”

Spock looked back and forth between the two McCoys, recognizing the steely-eyed determination in both. He stood straight and squared his shoulders, clasping his hands tightly behind his back. There was nothing to be done when that look and tone set in. “Very well, doctors. I shall, as you say, ‘keep my mouth shut.’”

Leonard gave him a half nod. “Thank you.”

“However, should your pregnancy prove detrimental to your health or present issue with your ability to perform your duty as ship’s CMO, I am duty bound to report it.” 

Leonard and McCoy exchanged glances. McCoy shrugged.

“Duly noted,” Leonard muttered. Spock left after that leaving the two McCoys. Leonard stood still while McCoy checked his blood sugar levels. Satisfied, t hey returned to the ready room to find the meeting wrapping up. The two Jims, Scottys and Spocks were standing to one side whispering to one another. The other officers were standing with their counterparts seemingly having good conversations and making plans.

“You can pick this up. It’s easy,” the other Chekov told his Chekov showing him a padd.

Younger Uhura was talking animatedly with his Uhura. “You’ll love it. We have so many new races in the Federation. Their languages are fascinating!”

Leonard snorted. She sounded just like Spock just then. From the sounds of it, his crew seemed to be finding ways to acclimate into this new reality. For a moment he had some hopes that maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to find a spot in this new reality as a doctor. Medicine was all he knew. 

He and McCoy sat next to each other and picked up the padds lying on the table. Leonard began researching medical practices of this reality. The more he read, the more his optimism dimmed. It was amazing what a hundred years of medicine could do. There were procedures, diagnostic, and surgical devices he’d never heard of. He’d have to go to medical school all over again! That was four years plus another three to seven years to become a surgeon. Even if life experience could shave some of the time off, he was still looking at seven to ten years. His stomach gurgled before he could get worked up again.

Jim stood to the side of him and squeezed his shoulder. “Join us for a quick bite, Bones?” 

Though phrased as a question, the squeeze on his shoulder told him declining was not an option. Leonard looked up to see Jim and Spock looking at him. Looking around, he noticed all the other officers had left. 

“I believe, doctor, that since you missed breakfast you should take this opportunity to consume a nutritious breakfast before returning to shift,” Spock said when he remained silent.

If that wasn’t Spock’s way of showing concern, Leonard didn’t know what was. He smiled and rose to his feet followed by McCoy. “Sure. Be there in a second.” He turned to McCoy as Jim and Spock walked over to the door.

“Well, doctor, I’d like to stop by later and discuss my options in medicine - if you have the time.”

McCoy smiled. “I have a surgery but I’m free after that. Should we grab an early dinner?”

Leonard chuckled softly. He’d more than likely eat again after that. “I’ll be there.” They walked to the door together and McCoy left to go to med bay. Leonard, Jim, and Spock made their way to the other Enterprise’s mess hall. There were a few tables full of crewman having breakfast. More than likely those from gamma shift. The three officers made quick work of getting their food from the replicator and finding a quiet spot near the back to sit. 

Remembering Spock's touch telepathy, he was careful not to come into skin contact with Spock. After this morning, he knew his lover would be paying attention to any feelings or sensations he picked up. Normally he blocked it out but after Leonard’s meltdown earlier he would be sure to have his shields wide open and attuned to the doctor. As for Jim, he had to remind himself to be mindful of what he said and to not give away any clues through his body language. Jim was a highly perceptive individual and could figure things out just as much by what  _ was _ said as was  _ not _ said.

Jim and Spock began discussing the briefing and Leonard listened while he ate. Starfleet and the federation were going help the new crew retrain and acclimate to this timeline. The Enterprise was going to be refitted and reclassed. To what was still in discussion. 

Leonard was only half listening, far too focused on his tray. He felt like he hadn’t eaten in years. He polished off a western omelette, toast, a donut, yogurt, and juice and still felt hungry. Jim slid over a bowl of pudding and Spock handed him a small bowl of some sort of porridge with honey.

“Looks like you missed more than breakfast there, Bones,” Jim teased pinching his side.

Leonard twisted away and scowled. “Can’t a man eat in peace?”

“Oh no. You can.” Jim smiled lifting up his coffee.

“Doctor.”

Leonard rolled his eyes and looked up from his food at Spock. There was no one around or paying attention to them. Why couldn’t Spock relax and call him by his name?

Spock folded his hands neatly on top of the table in front of himself. “When you left there was quite an uproar.”

“It was nothing,” Leonard quickly replied.

“Young Spock explained as much. ‘ Low blood sugar’ he said.”

Leonard looked down and played with the pudding. “Yeah. That’s right. It’s not uncommon.”

“This isn’t something more severe?” Spock asked. “Like your xenopolycythemia?”

Leonard paused with his spoon in the air and looked back and forth between the two. So that was it. They were worried he had some life threatening disease again. He set his spoon down and straightened in his seat. Perhaps now would be a good time to tell them. 

He took a long sip of his juice and cleared his throat. “I don’t have a terminal disease.” His heart began pounding in his chest. He was going to stroke out before he ever said anything. They were watching him with concern in both their eyes. He took a deep breath and laced his fingers together in his lap in an effort to steel his nerves. “I’m not dying. I’m-”

Jim’s communicator chirped. 

Sonofabitch!

With an annoyed sigh, Jim took out the intrusive device and flipped it open. “This is Kirk.”

_ “Captain, there’s a priority one message from Starfleet.” _

Jim’s shoulders sagged and he looked over to Leonard. He gave Jim a small smile then went back to eating his food. 

“I’ll...be right there. Kirk out.” He flipped the communicator closed and put his hand over Leonard’s.

“Bones -”

Leonard stopped him by holding up his hand. “It’s fine, Jim. Duty and all that.”

“We  _ will _ talk.” Jim stood and rubbed Bone’s arm. It was the only public display of affection Leonard would allow. Only the senior staff, Christine, and M’Benga knew they were dating. Leonard patted his hand and nodded. 

“Sure we will.” He sighed and looked back down at his food. His appetite was gone but he hated to waste. 

Spock stood to leave so he could follow Jim then decided against it and sat back down. This was unusual and Leonard looked at him with furrowed brows.

“Spock?”

“Please know we do not mean to neglect you, Leonard. We very much want to spend time with you.”

He smiled slightly but it failed to reach his eyes. “I know, Spock. You guys have over 430 lives ta take care of. I’m just the good ol’ country doctor tryin' ta keep ya'll healthy.” He noticed the slip into his native Georgian but didn't care. He was frustrated.

“Do not think you contribute any less or are less important than anyone else. That is not the case.” He put his hand on Leonard’s shoulder. “If anything, the CMO is the most important person because they make sure everyone is healthy - even the captain and first officer.”

Leonard scoffed at that. There were plenty of doctors. Apparently, in this time there were plenty of _better_ doctors. “The captain and first officer are irreplaceable. The entire ship looks to you to make the decisions that keep us all safe and inspire us to be our best.” He tapped the table with his index finger. “You can always find a new CMO.” 

His eyes traveled down as Spock’s hand trailed over his shoulder, slender fingertips lightly ghosting over his neck, before lifting the carved stone pendant around Leonard’s neck. A gift he'd given Leonard when they started dating. The stone glowed in his hand, light like fire blazing in his eyes. 

Spock's voice sounded far away as he stared at the stone. “A doctor may be replaceable to most,” he dropped the pendant and pressed his palm against Leonard’s beating heart. His dark eyes burned through Leonard’s to his soul as his hand burned through his shirt to the flesh beneath. “But Leonard H. McCoy is not replaceable to _me_.” 

Spock’s image blurred and Leonard’s throat burned with emotion. What could he say to that? The damned walking computer’s feelings were as deep as the ocean and his ways of expressing it as vast as space. He harshly rubbed at his right eye and gently pulled Spock’s hand away.

“You better get going, commander. I get the feeling you’ll be needed.”

“Very well, ashayam.” He lightly stroked the palm side of Leonard’s hand with his own sending a shiver down his spine. “Until later.”

Leonard nodded. “Later.”


	9. What to Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard has a choice to make.

Later didn't come.

There were meetings upon meetings between Jim, Spock, Scotty, Starfleet, and other members of the federation. With the decommissioning and refit of Enterprise, retraining and relocation of the four hundred and thirty-six mixed crew was paramount. No one knew yet what she would become. Rumor had it the Enterprise would become some sort of ship called up for home defense should another Nero rise up to threaten Earth.

Leonard, M'Benga, and the medical staff were responsible for the location of new doctors, update and transfer of crew records, and keeping the crew as mentally sound as they could. The news that they were stuck in this reality didn't set well with many. The younger crew, fresh out of the academy, seemed to think it was all par for the course of space exploration. They were even hopeful, in time, a solution could be found and they'd be returned home. 

The older, more seasoned crew were not so optimistic. Many broke down in tears. Three crewman became hysterical and had to be sedated. There were more fights in one week than they'd had in their entire five year mission. At one point, the brig was so full, crewman had to be confined to quarters with a guard posted at their door. Counselors from Starfleet and the other Enterprise came on board to assist.

There was a senior crew meeting after to address the crews' behavior and filter down information about the transitions. During department meetings, crew were presented with options on staying on with Enterprise after her refit if there were open positions, going to Earth to find positions in Starfleet or attend the academy, to attend schools of their choice for retraining and job placement, or return to their homeworlds to try to mesh into their societies.

During a rare sit down lunch together, Jim mentioned he would be retraining to update his credentials so he could remain a starship captain. Leonard figured as much. Space was in Jim's bones. A desk job or anything less would not be for him. Spock was easily catching up with this reality's science and was debating spending some time on New Vulcan to help the colony. In addition, Ambassador Sarek had requested a visit. Spock had also been offered a teaching position with Starfleet. Of course if Jim asked, he'd join him on a ship amongst the stars. They'd known each other since the academy so it would be nothing to gallivant together through the galaxy even in this time.

So where did that leave Leonard Horatio McCoy?

Leonard had been weighing all his options. He couldn't stay on the Enterprise with twins. Space was just too dangerous. For a diplomatic exploratory type vessel, the Enterprise and her crew were constantly in one life threatening adventure after another. Spock and Jim nearly died every other away mission. More than a few had even been nearly fatal for Leonard. A doctor! Who should have been safely stowed away in sick bay. After all the nonsense with the Romulans and being thrown into this reality, he'd had enough of space.

He damn sure didn't want to raise his little ones on a planet where, for all their logic and stoicism, the children could be the most cruel and hateful bullies in the galaxy. Leonard had no doubt that he'd lose his marbles and go all in on anyone messing with his little hobgoblins. Vulcan propriety be damned. Besides, he could barely handle a half vulcan half the time. Imagine being stuck on a planet full of them. Every day. All day.

But what could he do?

In this time and reality his medical knowledge and skills were grossly insufficient. He'd perused job postings in Starfleet and the private sector as a doctor or surgeon and come away shell shocked. He'd even tried obscure out of the way colonies to see if the requirements might be a little less stringent with no luck. He would have to go back to medical school and start all over from the bottom.

Or he could go back to Earth and find a nice quiet spot for him and his children and take up a job as a researcher or nurse. Nothing flashy. Definitely not dangerous. A set schedule and plenty of time with his little ones. Jim and Spock could come to visit whenever they found themselves with down time.

He dragged himself out of bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He'd decided to tell Jim and Spock his decision to leave and go to Earth at the same time he told them he was pregnant. At sixteen weeks neither of them had figured it out. To his credit, he carried pregnancy well. He was gaining weight proportionately all over his body and his pudge was still barely noticeable. M'Benga had assured him that things were progressing normally and it was more than likely he'd 'balloon' towards the end of the pregnancy.

As he got ready for the day, he mentally went over his schedule. He had a surgery scheduled first thing then the breakdown and reallocation of equipment from sick bay to storage. The Enterprise was due to begin refit in two weeks. The majority of the personnel would be transferred off beginning next week. Everything was happening so fast. Leonard couldn't tell if he was coming or going.

He reported to sick bay and carried out his duty. His feet ached by the time lunch came around so he took a break and went to the mess. As he was getting his tray from the replicator, a hand landed on his hip and a chest pressed against his back. Warm breath tickled the back of his neck making him shiver.

"Have I told you how good your ass looks in those pants these days, Bones?"

Leonard licked his lips and tried to keep a neutral face. The way they were standing, anyone watching might think they were speaking of something important like they always did. "No, captain. It might be because we seldom see each other these days."

Jim laughed and took his tray with one hand while wrapping his arm around Leonard's shoulders and steering him towards their table. Spock was sitting there as were the rest of the bridge team. Leonard smiled nervously as his tray was put down right across from Spock and Jim sat at the head of the table.

He wondered why the entire bridge team was having lunch at the same time. He looked around the table then back at Jim. His captain just winked at him then dug into his lunch. Leonard looked at Spock for some kind of clue as to what was happening but said male was turned to his left talking to Chekhov. With a shrug, Leonard picked up his spoon and began on his soup.

Halfway through their meal, Jim cleared his throat drawing their attention. The chatter died down though they kept eating. Jim smiled as he looked fondly around the table at his crew, his family.

"I know these past few weeks have emotional for many of us. With the ship going for refit in two weeks I just wanted you all to know how grateful and proud I am of all the work you've all put in." 

Leonard nodded while there were a few 'Thankyou, captains.'

"It pleases me to know you're all retraining so that you can return to your posts."

A cucumber lodged itself in Leonard's throat and he forced himself to remain calm as he picked up his water to wash it down. They were all returning? Why didn't he know that? He frowned to himself. Or maybe he did and forgot?

"Doctor McCoy, you're coming back as well?" Uhura asked.

Leonard cleared his throat. "Well...I....uh-"

"Of course he is. We wouldn't survive without our CMO," Jim beamed while slapping him on his back.

Leonard's stomach rolled. Did Jim and Spock know that his medical skills were obsolete in this time and reality? That it would take him _years_ to learn everything needed to even _qualify_ as a CMO?

He just smiled and stuffed another forkful of salad in his mouth ignoring Spock's dark gaze.

He barely avoided the First Officer after lunch and disappeared into his office. He busied himself with inventories and crew records for several hours until he got a call from McCoy to go over a few records. Leonard grabbed his padd and kit and headed for the turbo lift.

It was a good thing the crew was coming back, he thought to himself. They worked like a well oiled machine under the guidance of the youngest Captain in Starfleet and the finest First Officer of the fleet. The familiarity would be good for them. Especially since Leonard wouldn't be there with them.

The turbo lift opened. Leonard's eyes widened as he unconciously took a step back. The left corner of Spock's mouth twitched slightly as he stood next to the doctor. Another lieutenant greeted him as he stepped inside and the lift continued on its way. Leonard stared ahead as the lieutenant babbled to Spock about this thing or that. Spock merely nodded along and said, "I see," here and there.

Leonard looked down as the back of Spock's hand lightly brushed against his own. His hand tingled and he fought the urge to hold tight to Spock's warm hand. Instead, he brushed their hands again and hooked his pinky with Spock's. He noticed how Spock's shoulders seemed to relax as he looked over his shoulder. Leonard gave him a quick smile before the turbo lift opened and he stepped out.

He muttered to himself as he stepped off the transporter on the other Enterprise and rubbed his queasy belly. Why couldn't they just have done all this via comm unit? He met McCoy in his flashy medbay and followed him into the office. They went over all the records and managed to get all crew assigned and transferred. All except for one.

McCoy leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk. "So have you decided what you're going to do?"

Leonard also leaned back but put his swollen ankles up in the other chair. He folded his hands over his pudge. "I'm goin' back to Earth."

McCoy's eyebrows went up as his eyes widened. "Earth?"

"Yessir," Leonard smiled, patting his stomach. "Gonna find me a nice lil plot of land to raise my lil darlins."

"You find a position as a physician or surgeon?"

Leonard sighed wearily. "I've been a doctor for twenty-four years. I have a Legion of Honor Award and Starfleet Surgeon's Decoration. I'm known as the best surgeon in the fleet." He looked up with watery blue eyes. "Yet I have no place here. I'm obsolete. Retraining to be a physician and surgeon in this time would take up to _thirteen years!_ I'm damn near fifty and pregnant!" He scoffed and shook his head. "I don't have that kind of time or energy."

McCoy nodded in understanding. Out of all of the crew, Leonard was losing the most. M'Benga was going to help on the New Vulcan colony. Most of the nurses and techs were going to be retrained and reassigned. "What are you going to do?"

Leonard ran a hand through his growing hair. "Go back to earth. Find a cheap, quiet spot and raise the little ones."

"Alone?"

"Jim and Spock are returning to space after being retrained. Starfleet is going to give us our retirements and benefits. That will carry me over for a few years. But I plan to enroll in nursing school."

McCoy looked incensed. "But that's like being demoted! You're a doctor, dammit!"

Leonard nodded. "I know. But like you said, I need stress free." He smiled and put a hand over his stomach. "Besides, I'll have more time to devote to these two. They'll need me."

McCoy ran a hand down his face. "What did they say?"

Leonard's smile vanished and he sat up straight in his seat. "They said nothing because I didn't tell them."

"That you're leaving?"

"That I'm pregnant or that I'm leaving."

"Doctor!" McCoy's face darkened in anger. He rose to his feet and paced behind the desk. "You can't be serious!"

Leonard gave him a sly smile. "Like a heart attack."

McCoy looked like he was about to have one. Leonard wagged his finger at the younger him.

"And might I remind you,_ doctor_, this is confidential and you are obligated to maintain secrecy under doctor-patient confidentiality."

Younger McCoy clenched his fists and exhaled loudly through his nose. "Very well, _Mister _McCoy. I will have it noted I think this is foolish and selfish to not tell your partners both of your pregnancy and your decision to leave."

Leonard stood and nodded. "Duly noted, Doctor McCoy. Can I go now?"

He pointed out the door. "Get the hell out. I expect to see you before you leave for your records transfer and final check up with M'Benga."

Leonard smiled. "Thank you." The office door chimed as Leonard stretched, popping his back. McCoy disengaged the lock and privacy screen. Jim sauntered in all smiles.

"Jim!" Leonard said in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He would never admit it but he was pleasantly surprised and happy to see his lover. It had been too long since they'd been together alone. Not that they were totally alone.

"I was in another meeting with the brass and heard you were here." Jim was speaking to Leonard but his eyes were on McCoy.

Leonard followed Jim's gaze and crossed his arms over his chest. "Didja now?" He knew that gaze. It was the one he gave when something attractive came his way and he wanted a piece of it. Leonard thought those days were over. Apparently not.

"Thought I'd..." Jim tore his eyes from McCoy and looked back at Leonard. "Thought I'd escort you home."

"I'm a big boy," Leonard huffed. "I'm sure I can find my way home." His joy at seeing Jim had disappeared and now he just wanted to be anywhere but near him.

"Oh, I'm sure you could but I'll escort you none the same." Jim held his hand out encouraging him to walk out ahead of him. Leonard blew past but didn't look back. Behind him he heard Jim bid the doctor farewell.

This was just one more affirmation that he was right in his decision. He was older and, in his own opinion, not that good looking. Hell, it was a wonder why the three of them had gotten together and were _still _together. Jim would be able to flirt with all the young and good looking people he wanted and not worry. They could still be friends.

He gasped as the turbo lift doors closed and Jim pulled him to a crushing hug. Lips pressed against his as a hand gripped the hair at the back of his head. Jim's tongue pressed against his closed lips and he parted them to allow him in. Their kiss was full of hunger and longing. Jim devoured him as if he couldn't get enough. Leonard fisted the front of Jim's gold tunic as he had his way with him. Oh how he missed this!

Jim tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth as he pulled away. Leonard looked up with glassy eyes searching his captain's face as he panted.

"We'll continue this tonight in my quarters," Jim murmured. 

He nodded stupidly. "Okay." He closed his eyes and sighed as Jim pressed a soft kiss to his lips and smoothed his hair back down. Leonard positioned his med kit over his erection and tried to hide his smile as they walked down to the transporter room and returned to the Enterprise.

He couldn't wait for tonight.


	10. Hot Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard's looking forward to time with one of his men.

He showered and spiffied himself up the minute he got to his quarters. He shaved to make sure his face was baby soft then lined his eyes with a soft black to make his baby blues pop. His wavy hair was misbehaving so he tamed it down with a little hair product and made a mental note to get a trim. After a little chapstick to make his lips soft, he stood up straight and looked his body over before getting dressed.

The muscles in his chest and stomach were softening up. His little pudge poked out a little more but not too noticeably. The body hair was beginning to lighten and thin out. One of the side effects of the hormones used in the experiment. He turned to the side and his eyes widened. He looked from the mirror to his backside and back again in awe.

Was that really _his_ ass back there?

He took one hand and ran it down his rump. No wonder his pants were tight! He bounced on his toes a little and was amazed at the jiggle. Then he gave his booty a smack and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. Jim was gonna love it! Spock hadn’t been too vocal about his appearance but he thought he’d seen the vulcan checking him lately out the corner of his eye now and again.

With a pep in his step, he hurried into his room and looked for something to wear. He didn’t want to get too dressed up. If things worked out, he’d be _undressed_ before too long with a long, thick - He shook his head and grabbed a dark t-shirt and jeans from the closet. The shirt went on fine. Not too tight, not too loose. The jeans were a different story. He couldn’t get them up his newer, thicker thighs.

With a huff, he shimmied out of them and looked for something else. Frustration set in as pair after pair were tossed into a pile to be put in the donation pile. He’d remembered to update his uniform size but not his casual clothes. Finally, he found a pair of track pants and slipped them on. A thought made him chuckle. With the snaps on the sides, they’d be easier to take off than jeans anyway.

He arrived at Jim’s cabin a few minutes before the agreed time. Walking in, he found Jim setting the table with salad, pasta, and breadsticks. There were two wine glasses and a bottle of wine on the table. Leonard couldn’t help the smile that lit up his face as Jim walked up to him and kissed him softly.

“I didn’t know this was goin’ to be so fancy,” Leonard said looking down at his outfit. “I woulda dressed up.”

Jim wrapped his arms around Leonard’s waist and pulled him close. His voice was low and husky against Leonard’s ear. “What would be the point? I’m just gonna strip you out of it all later anyway.”

Leonard put his forehead against Jim’s chest hiding his face as heat rushed into his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

“Let’s eat first. I’m dying for-” he squeezed Leonard’s butt in his hands as he ground their fronts together making Leonard moan. “-dessert.”

Leonard’s eyes were darkened as his body responded to Jim’s advances. It had been so long since they’d been intimate. That voice and those eyes could have Leonard dropping his pants in two seconds flat. “We could always skip right to the dessert.”

Jim smiled and pulled away. “Food first.” He looked at Leonard over his shoulder. “You’ll need the energy.”

They sat down to dinner and light conversation. They talked a bit about the crew transfers and what each had been up to since the whole thing happened. Jim told him of some of the simulations that were still being run but so far all had ended tragically for the simulated crew. Jim and Spock had been working tirelessly to ensure every member of the crew was taken care of, including Enterprise herself.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with the other you and his crew,” Leonard said with a sip of his tea. He’d politely declined the wine saying he had an early morning tomorrow. Jim merely shrugged and got him a glass and replicated a pitcher of sweet tea.

Jim nodded and leaned in his seat with a huge grin. “They’re fascinating, Bones.”

“There’s that word. Ya’ll are startin’ to sound like the hobgoblin,” he said with a smirk. Jim laughed and shook his head.

“Maybe. But there’s no denying it’s intriguing.”

Leonard snorted.

“Did you know that in this reality McCoy and Kirk were classmates? That they met on the shuttle?”

Leonard raised a brow. “Really now?” That had to be a real peach. Jim was a wild one in his thirties when they'd met. A twenty-something Jim Kirk? He wouldn't be able to handle it. 

Jim was still talking. “And Spock was an instructor and had gotten with Uhura?”

Leonard gasped and his eyes widened. “Well, I’ll be.” He chuckled and sipped his drink. “Don’t tell Sulu.”

“Tell him what?” Jim winked.

“Are they...uh. Together?”

Jim shrugged and sipped his wine. “Kirk and Spock are dancing around each other. This Spock is still twice as Vulcan as the Vulcans. There even was another Spock, older, that came through time and realities and helped them with Nero.”

Leonard played with the water droplets on his glass. “And McCoy?”

“Don’t you two talk?”

They'd talked about Kirk and Spock but not about McCoy and Kirk or McCoy and Spock. “Mostly ship’s business.”

Jim eyed him a moment before giving him a nod. “No. Neither of them seem interested in him. Which is a shame because he’s extremely good looking. He’s got that tight little body and those hazel eyes that turn green when he’s upset…”

Leonard felt like he was punched in the gut and put a hand over his stomach. “Aww, are you saying I’m not pretty?” He was surprised how light it came out despite the hurt in his chest. Why was Jim sitting here complimenting some other man even if it was him...kinda...sorta.

Jim’s smile brightened. “There’s no need to be jealous, Bones. He’s you afterall.”

_Technically, he’s not_, Leonard said to himself. He was older than McCoy and didn’t know the same things the other one knew. There were differences in life experiences and choices made. Their relationships with crewmembers were different as well.

“Are you ready for dessert now?” Jim stood from the table and offered his hand.

Leonard fought the urge to tell Jim to shove his dessert somewhere. Despite being miffed about Jim’s insensitive comment, Leonard loved the man and missed his affections. Who knew how often they’d see each other between now and reassignments? He stood and took Jim’s hand and let himself be lead into the bedroom.


	11. Leonard's Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard puts a plan into action

Jim immediately attacked him with vigor and Leonard soon found himself naked and on his back with one James Tiberius Kirk devouring him from head to toe like that dessert he mentioned. Leonard tried to match his passion, but Jim seemed content to pin him in place and have his way with him so Leonard let him.

_Sweet baby Jesus!_ That Jim Kirk passion was unmatched anywhere in the galaxy. Not that Leonard had much to compare it to. His sexual partners, including Jim and Spock, could be counted on one hand. He moaned with abandon as Jim's lips latched onto one of his nipples and sucked and teased with his teeth while the other nipple enjoyed the pulling and pinching of Jim's nimble fingers.

"God, Jim! Slow down!" Leonard's hands tangled in Jim's hair as he peppered kisses all over Leonard's chest and stomach moving south. The Georgian hissed as Jim's tongue flicked over the head of his drooling dick.

"You taste so good, Bones."

"It's the juice," Leonard panted.

Jim ran his tongue along the large vein throbbing along his length. "Mmmm. Sweet."

Leonard's back arched off the bed and he let out a startled yelp as Jim spread his thighs wide open and took him in his mouth. _Good googly moogly! What that tongue do, tho._ He was making enough noise to rival a single sailor on leave at Wrigley's Pleasure Planet. 

Leonard bit down on his fist to keep his voice down. If Jim kept this up he was gonna lose it before they well and good got started. He fisted Jim's hair in his hands and gently tugged his head up.

Jim reluctantly let go. "What's wrong, Bones?"

Voice dripping with a husky southern lilt, he panted, "Stop piddlin' 'round and get in me 'fore I lose muh load."

Jim flashed him that million dollar smile and pulled him up. "Impatient, are we?"

"Just get on with it."

Jim turned him around and began rubbing up and down his back. Leonard tried to turn back around. After so long, he wanted to see Jim's face as they made love. He wanted to be able to touch as much of him as possible and kiss that glorious golden skin. _Maybe this is to just get the first one out of the way_, he thought to himself as Jim bent him over and began to finger him open.

"Bones, my god," Jim's breath ghosted over his heated flesh as he groped Leonard's softening chest eliciting a moan from the touch starved doctor. "You've put on weight in _all_ the right places."

Leonard groaned as Jim's hand smacked down on his ass cheek. He gripped the sheet as Jim smacked the other one then proceeded to knead his fleshy globes. Jim's hot length slid up and down the cleft between his cheeks and he heard Jim moaning. He heard the uncapping of the lube then slick cold fingers began playing with his hole and widening him more. He moaned when they slipped inside and curled, grazing over that little walnut sized node inside.

"So beautiful. Such a tight ass." His thumbs spread him open and the tip slowly slipped inside Leonard's tightness. "Gonna fill you up and pound you good and hard."

God that man's mouth!

Leonard put his head down on the back of his hands and spread his knees wider. The new position opened him wider and Jim slid all the way inside. Leonard breathed through the burning stretch. They hadn't had sex in so long he felt like an anal virgin again. When he was accustomed to Jim's size, he leaned forward and then pushed back letting Jim know he was ready.

Jim gripped his hips and pulled back slowly. "God you're so tight. I love it." He pushed back in slowly and did it again and again until he was slowly thrusting shallow inside of Leonard.

Leonard let Jim control the pace at first but soon started rocking back into it. Jim gripped him tighter and picked up his pace, digging deeper and touching that spot that made Leonard's toes curl and fists tangle in the sheets. When he cried out Jim's name, Jim really went to town trying to hit that spot every time to hear the music of Leonard's cries, gasps, and moans.

Sweat rolled down Leonard's face. Jim felt so good moving deep inside him. Oh how he missed it. The only way it could get better was if Spock were here. He could see Spock in front of him, sucking down his length. Pulling his sensitive nipples with those deft fingers, whispering Vulcan vulgarities in his ear. Leonard reached down to stroke himself.

"Oh god, Jim!" he cried out, arching his back. That masterful, talented rod poked him just right, making stars ignite behind his eyes. "Right there! Harder, harder! Yes! God!" Leonard could feel his orgasm curling tight like a snake in his belly ready to strike. He wasn't going to last much longer.

From the sound of it, neither was Jim.

The scent of sweat, sex, and lube permeated the air of the cabin. Jim was moaning and cussing above him, pounding him for all he was worth. "That's right. Scream my name. Goddamn you feel so good. You like my dick? I bet you do. Greedy little slut. Take it. Take all of it. I'm gonna fill you up, McCoy. Get ready."

Leonard felt like he was dropped in a tub of ice water. Jim never called him McCoy when they were in bed. Was Jim imagining the other Leonard McCoy with the hazel eyes? He stiffened as Jim came with a loud grunt, coating his insides with warm seed. Leonard's own erection died and he waited for Jim to finish.

Leonard didn't protest when Jim rolled over and pulled him to his chest. His mind was zooming a million light years per second along with his heart rate. Had Jim called out another man's name while they were together for the first time in a month? All that time spent at the other Enterprise, was Jim now infatuated with his counterpart? Leonard's stomach began to feel queasy and it was hard to breathe. He tried to keep his breathing even as pulled away from Jim who only pulled him back and held him tightly.

He stared at the pillow beside his head. "Don't get clingy, darlin'. I gotta get up early in the mornin'." It wasn't a lie but he had been planning to stay over. Now, he just wanted to go to his little corner of the ship. His eyes closed as Jim's lips pressed against the back of his neck.

"Stay here tonight."

"I won't get any sleep if I do that." Leonard turned to look at his lover over his shoulder. "We both know it."

"Please," Jim begged.

Leonard forced himself to smile. "Spock should be home soon. You can cuddle up with him."

Jim's lips pulled into a pout. "He's not you."

_I may be me but I'm not the me you want_, Leonard said to himself. He kissed Jim's swollen lips and eased out of the bed. He tried to hurry and find all of his clothes without making it seem like he was in a rush. Jim watched him from the bed with a look Leonard couldn't decipher nor did he care to. Once dressed, he said goodnight and made his way back to his own quarters, fighting the bile rising in his throat.

He locked the door as soon as he was inside and shed his clothes on the way to the bathroom. He set the shower as hot as he could and climbed in. He took an old style loofah and scrubbed himself for head to toe. Forgetting one thing, he had to climb out and grab something out of the sink. He urged the water to fill faster. He screwed the nozzle on then proceed to wash Jim's seed out of his body. The cramping hurt but he forced himself to grit his teeth and finish the deed.

Cleaned head to toe, inside and out, Leonard sank to his knees in the shower. Water mingled with his tears and burned down his face and washed down the drain. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when so much had happened.

How could Jim call him someone else's name? Was he no longer attracted to Leonard? Or maybe Leonard was just not being attentive to Jim's needs? Where did he go wrong? What did he do? Sure, they were all busy but Leonard had only pulled back so Jim wouldn't feel so pressured. So he could focus on his duty and take care of the crew and ship.

Jim always took every failed mission, every death personally. He internalized it and blamed himself and would sometimes lapse into periods of self doubt, lack of confidence, and minor depression. Leonard always tried to minimize it when he could. He hadn't even told Jim about the children yet because he knew that would just be more stress and two more lives Jim would have to worry about and blame himself for ruining.

He gasped.

There was no way he could tell Jim. Not now. Not when his heart was somewhere else. His conversation with McCoy left him feeling guilty so Leonard's revised plan to leave _did_ include telling them about the children. But now...

He shook his head. No. He wouldn't tell them and he would just do this himself.

He forced himself to his feet and turned off the water. After drying himself off, he stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself. There were hickies all over his chest and neck. His nipples were dark pink and swollen. A tear rolled down his cheek as he rubbed his bump, his voice thick with emotion.

"We can do this." 

Then he raised his eyes to look into the red, teary blues staring back at him. "_I_ can do this."

**********************

Starfleet was writing their existence off as merely being dopplegangers. In theory, every person on Earth had as many as seven other non-related individuals that looked like them. If anyone recognized any members of the Enterprise crew, it could easily be dismissed thus. Leonard thought it was the weakest cover he'd ever heard but how else could they explain it? Time travel, the Romulans, black stars, and wormholes were very high on Starfleets' _'do not discuss'_ list.

The crew were given new names similar to the ones they had so they wouldn't get confused and blow their covers, and their military pensions to carry them over as they retrained and reacclimated. Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets assisted with housing and education placement and the crew began beaming off the ship in small groups to Earth, Vulcan, Andoria, and other parts of the galaxy.

A few days had passed since his horrible date with Jim. The two Spocks had gone off to the Vulcan colony for research of some thing or another and Jim and Scotty were in San Francisco meeting with the admiralty and Corps of Engineers. Leonard was still on the ship seeing to the final breaking down of sickbay and the transfer records of the last of the non-command crew. He had lunch with the medical staff who were leaving the next day.

A message was waiting for him when he returned to his quarters. It was from his realtor on Earth. When they first got the news they were stuck, Leonard began looking into various planets for homes. Even back then something in the back of his mind wanted him on solid ground. Besides, children didn't belong on a ship like the Enterprise. She was built for exploration and battle if need be. Not ferrying families into the dangerous, cold unknown of deep space.

He wanted someplace with a tolerable climate, medical facilities on par with the Enterprise, and a tolerance for non-native species. He wasn't worried about schools. He had at least four years to figure that part out. He just needed someplace affordable on his reduced salary to finish out the pregnancy comfortably and deliver the children safely.

Like many of the crew, he'd looked in on his hometown and this reality's version of the people he knew. McCoy's relationship with his Jocelyn and Joanna mirrored Leonard's own with one minor detail. McCoy's divorce had been bitter and nasty prompting him to join Starfleet in drunken bitterness. Leonard had quietly signed everything away. Starfleet was always in his plan. He wanted to be at the forefront of new medical discoveries. He just didn't think he'd be on a ship. Blame James Kirk. His Jocelyn even went out of her way to make sure Leonard and Joanna had a relationship. He may have been an absentee husband, but Leonard was there whenever his daughter needed him.

After ensuring that he wouldn't run into any of McCoy's people, Leonard asked a realtor to look into properties up to an hour away from his birthplace in Georgia. He didn't have time for a farm but he wanted enough land that he couldn't sneeze into his neighbor's yard. He also wanted to be near a hospital- both for delivery and employment purposes.

The realtor sent him four potentials and he made his selection and signed the appropriate forms on the padd. Once everything was done, he leaned back in his chair and sighed.

He did it. He actually did it.

His heart was pounding in his chest. All that was left was to pack up, give his cover story, and leave. No one would be the wiser. Then he'd break up with them over subspace channels and He'd live quietly on Earth with his twins. Jim and Spock could carry on being the dynamic duo in space with any baggage to hold them back.

He shoved the burning feelings in his throat and eyes away and got to his feet. There was still work to be done. He quickly began boxing up his quarters and packing his suitcase. Not that he had much to pack, but we wanted it done and over with. Earlier in the day, he'd commed Jim and Spock and told them he was going to Earth in two days for a two month training program to upgrade some of his credentials and that he'd be gone when they got back. He also told them that he'd be back eventually.

He'd be long gone by the time they figure out that was a lie.


	12. Overlooked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something important is brought to the attention of the Enterprise crew.

Six weeks after Leonard left, the two bridge crews met up for lunch at Starbase Yorktown to touch base and socialize. Jim had recently finished several courses related to diplomacy, starship command, and starship mechanics to be up to par with this reality’s requirements to retain his rank and starship command. Spock had been assisting on New Vulcan and taking courses online. While neither were completely finished training, but they had enough training under belt to return to their posts. 

When in each other’s company, they reverted back to their names or a nickname so as not to be confused. The crew from 2274 were Jim, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Chekhov, Sulu, and Leonard. The technologically advanced crew from 2267 were Kirk, Younger Spock - a name he detested despite his protests vulcans didn’t have emotions. Uhura’s counterpart was known by her first name Nyota since that’s what everyone called her. Pavel Chekhov and Hikaru Sulu were known by their first names in deference to their older counterparts. The two Scottys refused to give up their Scotty nickname so there was Scotty - older and Scotty Scot - younger. 

In the short time they were seperated, Uhura managed to learn Romulan, Cardassian, Bajoran, and how to communicate with Keenser, a Roylan who was Scotty Scot’s assistant in engineering. She was currently teaching a course at one of the academies near her hometown. Chekhov and Sulu didn’t have much to learn other than new star charts and a few navigational panels. Scotty was so immersed in learning the new technology so he could use it when he got Enterprise back, that he sometimes neglected sleep. Scotty Scot and Keenser had taken the engineer into their fold and made sure he took proper care of himself

McCoy quietly watched them all socializing and having a good time. He couldn’t help notice Leonard’s absence and the lack of notice or concern on behalf of the other crew. He had hoped to hear some news about the pregnancy or what Leonard was doing on Earth. No one had mentioned Leonard’s name, how he was doing, or where he was. It was like he’d been forgotten. McCoy couldn’t understand how Jim and Spock could just sit there and act so carefree when their pregnant partner was missing out. Didn’t they care?

“You’re awfully quiet, McCoy,” Nyota said elbowing his side.

He shrugged and picked at his salad. “My momma always said ‘if you can’t say nothin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all.’”

Kirk smiled and looked around the table. “Bones, what is there to be upset about? We’re here, alive, with new old friends -”

“Gee, thanks,” Uhura huffed fluffing her hair.

“Old but beautiful,” Kirk amended with a wink. That earned him a few chuckles. “Everyone is well and everything is going smoothly.”

McCoy sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest as he rest his eyes on Jim and Spock. “You sure ‘bout that?”

Young Spock turned to look at him. “You imply it is not, doctor. Care to elaborate?”

McCoy looked at the older crew instead of responding. “If ya’ll can’t see it, you’re dumber than a brick.”

“Doctor, you’re out of line,” Sulu protested.

“Am I?” McCoy quirked a brow and met Jim’s hazels with his own. “Some captain.”

Kirk gripped his fork in his hand and grit his teeth. “Knock it off, Bones. He’s still a commanding officer.”

McCoy kept Jim’s gaze. “Not mine and I have no respect for people not loyal to their crew.”

Pavel and Hikaru looked at each other then at Nyota who just shrugged her shoulders as she shook her head. Young Spock and Kirk frowned. Jim and Spock exchanged confused glances.

Spock turned back to McCoy with a look of confusion. “What are you referring to, Doctor McCoy?”

McCoy crossed his arm over his chest and looked around the room. “When was the last time any of you spoke to  _ former _ Doctor Leonard McCoy?”

Spock’s brows drew down in a not frown. “Leonard is training. It is normal not to have contact for some time.”

“How long?” McCoy repeated.

Chekov rubbed his hands together. “I spoke to ze doctor two months ago. Iz not uncommon for a lapse in communication or delay in transmissions.”

"Yet, not one of you mentioned him or asked about him." McCoy snickered and shook his head. “Boy, am I glad I’m not with you. Any of you.

Jim sat up straight and set his jaw as his eyes hardened. Friend and comrade were replaced with battle hardened captain not taking shit from anyone. “Okay, doctor. Seems you have something to get off your chest. Let’s have at it.” 

McCoy sat up and squared his shoulders. “Permission to speak candidly.”

Jim opened his hands wide with the palms up. “By all means.”

“I think you all are the shittiest, most selfish, ignorant crew and boyfriends that ever existed.”

There were gasps and looks of horror and shock from both crews. Both Spocks eyebrows disappeared under their bangs. Keenser kept eating his food. It was none of his business. Jim’s eyes narrowed.

Young Kirk wasn’t sure what to do. Chastise his subordinate or stay out of it since Jim gave him permission to speak his mind. Instead he went the friend route. “Bones!”

Jim held up his hand, the smirk on his lips was the same one he got when he was about to go in on someone but wanted them to get out whatever they had to say. “No, no. Let him speak. Explain yourself, _lieutenant commander_.”

McCoy glared at him. “Well I'll be. Using my rank now. I’m a  _ doctor _ ,” he sneered. “First and foremost.”

Jim narrowed his eyes, lips pressed into a thin line. “Make your point,” he demanded.

“My point is this - you’re his boyfriend yet you think two months of no contact is okay.” McCoy leaned back in his chair and laughed ruefully. None of then understood how Leonard felt. That's why it was easy for them to go on the way they did. “But of course. Why wouldn’t it be? You _ all _ came to this reality and transitioned seamlessly. You found jobs right in line with what you were doing _no problemo_.”

He looked around the room, seeing them absorb his words but still looking confused. “But what about Leonard? He’s a doctor that was thrown into a technologically advanced, alternate reality and found out his skills are _obsolete_.  _ He _ is obsolete. It’ll take him years to get the knowledge of today’s medicine and technology to do what he was doing. Not only has he lost his daughter, but his profession - his  _ identity  _ as well.”

Both Enterprise crews looked horrified. Doctoring was  _ everything _ to Leonard. He ate, slept, and breathed it. To imagine it stripped from him was unfathomable. Spock looked distraught. 

McCoy shook his head with a long sigh and looked up at the ceiling. “He truly only has his bones left.”

The room was quiet. The Enterprise crew looked embarrassed, ashamed, and saddened all at once. Spock rose from his seat, said he needed to meditate, and left the room in a faster pace than was normal for him. Jim was looking down at the table. 

Kirk and Young Spock looked at each other in silent communication. Then Kirk cleared his throat and addressed the room.

“I think we should call it a day.” He looked at Jim, a look of pity on his face. “Perhaps, captain, you should take some time to ensure  _ all  _ of your crew is settled.”

Jim gave him a half nod. The younger crew left, leaving them to their thoughts. Jim began to beat himself up. How could he have been so blind? Of course Bones would be having a hard time. Why hadn’t he seen it? Why hadn’t he thought to check in with Bones more often to be sure? He should have seen it. He took Bones’ lack of communication for being busy or delays in communication. But it wasn’t. Bones had left and not said anything.

“We’ve got a lot o’ makin’ up ta do,” Scotty said after a while.

Chekhov nodded his head. “Da. We totally ignored ze doctor.”

“He never mentioned anything. I assumed he was okay,” Uhura said sadly. Sulu rubbed her back and sighed.

Jim twisted his hands together. “Bones would have never let any of us off that easily. He would have poked, prodded, and harassed us until he was  _ certain _ we were alright.” 

“McCoy was right.” Sulu looked around the table. “We truly are the worst.”

Jim stood and yanked down the front of his shirt. “We can sit here beating ourselves up over it or do something about it.” He strode purposefully towards the door.

“Where are you going, keptin?”

Jim turned and gave a small smile. “To try and locate our wayward doctor and be sure he's alright.”


	13. Looking for Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock has some revelations

Spock sat on his meditation stool - fingertips pressed together, eyes shut- focusing on his breathing. The base notes of sandalwood and patchouli permeated the air. It was an incense blend known to aid in deep meditation. It had been a gift from Leonard when he’d run out of his typical Vulcan blend just before their encounter with the Romulans.

Therefore, it was no surprise when all of Spock’s thoughts became centered around the owner of eyes as blue as a clear day on Terra with a smile as blinding as the sun. For as sarcastic and abrasive as Leonard could be, he was equally kind, compassionate, and loving. Leonard possessed a quick, brilliant mind capable of simultaneous multi-layered thought processing and an uncanny ability to solve the unsolvable and succeed in the face of insurmountable odds.

And Spock would never admit to anyone else, but he missed him very much.

Why had he not been more attuned to Leonard’s distress? He was closer to Leonard than Jim because their values and morals were so closely aligned while their scientific interests often had them working together and collaborating on projects even in their off time. Where Spock relied on his steadfast logic to see things through, Leonard applied his emotions when logic failed him. Together they were the physical embodiment of Yin and Yang.

Things had been hectic but he did not believe things were falling apart between the three of them. He had believed they were each doing their part to look after the ship and crew and acclimate to their new circumstances. He had believed when the dust settled, the three of them would come out on the other side together and settled.

He had not known that Leonard’s skills were obsolete in this time. As the ship’s First Officer, he _should_ have. He had no explanation for his oversight. M’Benga had extensive knowledge of Vulcan biology and culture and had no trouble fitting in on the new Vulcan colony. Christine and other staff had always had interests in other parts of the medical field and happily accepted Starfleet’s assistance to pursue them.

That just left Leonard adrift.

Spock had felt something was amiss before the encounter with the Romulans. Their interactions had decreased to occassional meals together. He knew Leonard had been feeling neglected and resolved to spend more time with him. Yet, every time he tried to spend time with his beloved, something pressing to do with ship’s business would occur and he would have to see to it. Then they were sucked into the wormhole and things had not been calm enough to do anything. An urgent matter had come up on the colony right before Leonard left so Spock had not been able to see him off.

His door wooshed open, drawing his attention to the only other person who would enter his quarters without announcing their arrival. Even through the dim lighting, he could tell Jim was distressed. They had failed Leonard. They were so focused on the rest of the crew, the admiralty, and Enterprise, they’d forgotten about the one person that helped them keep it all together.

“How did I mess this up so badly, Spock?”

_That is precisely what he had been asking himself since he left their luncheon so abruptly._ Spock rose from his seat and put out the candle. Then he walked into the living area and stood in front of his other partner. Jim was flopped on the sofa with his head in his hands.

“You are not alone in your neglect of Leonard, Jim. I, too, had a part to play in this. If he had been happy, he would not have left. Had we both been paying more attention, we would have known he was unhappy and been able to deal with it sooner.”

Jim scooted to the end of the cushion and rubbed his hands together. “But that nobody else saw it either, Spock. How oblivious could we all have been? Bones must have felt so lonely.”

Spock clasped his hands behind his back as he pondered Jim’s question. The bridge crew had failed Leonard simply because they did not have as much interaction with him due to his position being located in sick bay. Sure, Scotty and Leonard were known to 'kick back' over drinks, but Leonard’s interaction with the rest of the command team were limited to sick bay visits, meetings, lunches, away missions, or when Leonard himself wandered up to the bridge. Quick, superficial, nothing deeper than acquaintances.

But, there was one section of personnel Leonard was particularly close to. They would definitely have noticed changes in Leonard’s emotional state. “It is a possibility those closest to him _did_, in fact, know that Leonard was suffering and simply chose not to say anything.”

Jim rose to his feet in anger. “Who?! Why wouldn’t they tell us?! Their CMO was falling apart! Didn’t they care?!”

Spock raised an eyebrow at Jim's response. “Perhaps it’s _because_ they care that they did not tell us.”

Jim’s eyes narrowed.

“Especially,” Spock continued. “If Leonard asked them not to thinking he would just be burdening us.” He noticed the tic working in Jim’s jaw.

“Who would know?”

Spock crossed his arms over his chest. “Think, Jim. Who does Leonard spend the majority of his time with? Who would know more about his moods than us? Who is loyal to him without fault and would do anything he asked?” He watched the understanding dawn in Jim’s eyes. Seems they had overlooked much.

Jim began to pace. “Of course! Dr. M’Benga and Nurse Chapel would do anything Bones asked of them even if they didn’t agree.”

“Indeed.”

“We’ve got to find him. Talk to him.”

“I have tried the contact information Leonard left to no avail.”

Jim stopped pacing and faced him with a frown. “What are you saying?”

“The comm has been disconnected.”

“Where is he? We can beam down to his location.”

“It is for an address near Starfleet headquarters which is vacant.”

Jim smacked the back of the sofa and shook his fists in the air. “Dammit, Bones! You stubborn, thickheaded, menace of a doctor!”

Spock inwardly chuckled at Jim's display of frustration. He sounded so much like their missing lover. “Now you are starting to sound like, Leonard.”

Running a hand through his hair, Jim chuckled. “I think we both can agree that Leonard has a tendency to...rub off on those around him.”

Spock allowed a small smile. “Indeed he does.”

**************

They knew that M’Benga and Chapel were Leonard’s most loyal and trusted friends and co-workers. If Leonard asked them to do or not do something it was as good as done. They tried tracing Leonard’s last moves from taking a shuttle from Enterprise to Earth, to a transporter beam out he’d taken from San Francisco to a symposium in Chicago. From there, they lost him. The last image they had on him from satellite feeds was of him entering the lecture hall and then nothing. Even surveillance cameras in the lecture hall lost Doctor Leonard McCoy when all two thousand attendees were suddenly evacuated for a gas leak.

A week into their search, they were called on a mission with the younger Enterprise crew on a first contact mission several light years away. Spock attempted to decline but was reminded he needed experience and training on how things were done and young Spock was interested in seeing how the two commands did things. Knowing that ‘chasing after my lover’ was not a sufficient nor acceptable reason to decline a mission such as this, Spock, Jim, and the rest of the older bridge crew set off on an eight week trip.

Hope was a human emotion but Spoke would admit he hoped he’d be able to find Leonard upon their return and make amends before it was too late.


	14. New Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two in one day! Sometimes a story just flows. As for a NaNo update, about 22,000 words are left to meet the 50,000 word count by the end of the month. I just wanted to thank those of you who left kudos or commented!

With Spock’s top level computer skills and Jim’s tenacity, Leonard knew giving them the slip would be hard. After he swore Christine and M’Benga to secrecy, he devised his plan to throw his lovers off his trail once he left.

He took the shuttle to Earth and set up an apartment near Starfleet headquarters. He stayed for a few days while paying the rent for up to a month. He had the electricity on a timer so that it would seem someone was living there. Then he attended a symposium on Interspecies Cultural Comparisons. During the symposium, he dropped a vial of Cologneian pheromones that smelled similar to nitrous oxide only it was harmless unlike NOS which caused slight intoxication with mild exposure. While exiting the building, he donned a hat and discreetly ditched his blue uniform top. He hopped a taxi to the nearest transporter station, used a fake name, and beamed to a car rental place and drove himself to Georgia.

Once he’d received the keys from the realtor, Leonard had settled in rather quickly. His four bedroom ranch style home was situated on five acres with a pond and backed into a preserve. Christine had come to help him furniture shop before she went to New York for training. He’d chosen neutral colored furnishings with easy to clean fabrics. He was undecided on a color scheme or theme for his babies so he opted not to furnish the twins’ room or their playroom until after they were born.

He felt a little lonely once Christine had left. It would just be him and his babies on the ranch in a town where he was unknown. He’d still be seeing her and M’Benga once a month for prenatal checkups and to document the pregnancy for their research. This reality still hadn’t dabbled in the realm of alternative methods of reproduction. In his own time, Leonard and M’Benga were only two of a handful of scientists, doctors, and researchers seeking solutions for same sex and interspecies reproductive issues. As such, a pregnant huan male was an anomaly.

To stave off the boredom and have an income, he’d found a position as a visiting caretaker part-time while he took his nursing courses online. The methods for diagnosing illnesses were the same but the equipment used was not. The equipment was much more efficient and accurate and Leonard was impressed at the details provided. Leonard also had to take xenobiology, ethics, and diversity courses again because there were several species in this time that his reality had yet to encounter.

Leonard was surprised when he hit the twenty-fifth week of his pregnancy and he’d still remained undiscovered by his lovers. He didn’t know if it was a testament to his skills or that his lovers just didn’t care that much. In all fairness, he did disable his comm and dump it in a waste receptacle and two weeks prior he’d sent his break-up letter snail mail fashion when he was in another city so it couldn’t be traced to his current location.

Oh, and he’d changed his name.

Not bad for a techno-wary fossil like himself.

*********

M’Benga looked up from his padd as he walked into the lab and did a double take. His mouth dropped open and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Leonard was in front of a panel jotting numbers down on a padd with his back to the door. He turned and looked at the African doctor with a raised brow.

“Well, ya just gonna stand there or are ya comin’ in?”

M’Benga’s feet unstuck from the floor and he whipped out his tricorder as he slowly approached his former boss and colleague. “What happened?”

“I dunno,” Leonard sighed running a hand through his chin length hair. “I’d like to think it was my diet. But I’ve been eatin’ all the right stuff. Best I can tell, it’s either the hormones or something in their dna.”

M’Benga read the information on the tricorder and hummed to himself. “You look like you’re due any minute but you’re only five months along.”

Leonard rubbed his stomach. “Trust me, I feel it.”

“Have you run any tests or scans?”

Leonard smiled and clapped him on the back. “Nah. Thought I’d let you have all the fun.”

M’Benga snorted and lead him over to the biobed. “Have a seat, doctor.” He let the biobed run its scanners and drew blood and tissue samples. When the scanner was done, he had Leonard give a urine sample and ran tests on it.

There was nothing to explain Leonard’s sudden weight jump from his last check-up five weeks ago. At twenty-five weeks, even with twins, he should not have been so large. The sudden weight gain was putting strain on Leonard’s body. He had edema in his hands, legs, and feet. His blood pressure was elevated and his sugar was higher than it should have been. After giving him a shot, M’Benga sat down to tell him the bad news.

“You’re going to have to go on bed rest a lot sooner than we had planned.”

Leonard sighed. He figured as much. He could still do his courses online but he just couldn’t work. That meant he’d have more time to sit around and think. Think about how he ended up here. Think about what he’d lost. Think about the two men traversing the cosmos without him. He didn’t want to _think_. Busy was best.

“I don’t think-”

M’Benga stopped him with fierce brown eyes. “Uh-uh, Leonard. I know you’re a workaholic like the rest of us,” he paused. “Well, ten times _more_ than the rest of us, but keeping you and these children healthy and alive is my priority. If I have to have you strapped to a bed until delivery, I’ll do it.”

Leonard stared him down. M’Benga wasn’t wrong but Leonard felt he could handle light duty during the pregnancy. “What about - ?”

M’Benga shook his head. “No.”

“I could -”

“Rai.”

Leonard cocked a brow. What language was that? “But there’s some -”

“Qo’”

His brows raised at that one. He didn’t even know M’Benga knew Klingon. “I-”

“Ie.” Japanese. M'Benga gave him a look like he could play this game all day and Leonard would still lose.

Now Leonard was getting pissed. M’Benga was just telling him no in different languages. He got to his feet. “You--”

M’Benga cut him off again with a raised hand. “La. Het. And I believe in southern it’s _hell naw._”

Leonard got in his colleague’s space bubble and jabbed his finger in the air near his chest. “Now see here, Joseph -!”

M’Benga put a hand on his shoulder, silencing his frustrated friend. “Leonard, if I felt it was safe for you to continue any type of work doing what you love, I would put you on light duty or desk duty. I’m not just committed to bringing these children into this world safely, but I want to preserve _your_ life while I do it.”

Leonard’s shoulders sagged. He was right. The babies only had Leonard. He needed to put them first.

M’Benga sighed and looked at him with warm brown eyes. “We’re more than colleagues. I consider you a dear friend. I know you’re suffering in more ways than one and need to work and be busy, but I can’t in good conscience as your friend or doctor let you do so.”

Sitting back on the edge of the biobed, Leonard sighed. “Spose I could garden. Catch up on some articles. Write one or two.”

“That’s the spirit! Stay positive!” M’Benga smiled and patted his back.

Leonard rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He was not feeling positive about this.

Not at all.


	15. Surprise, Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tissue warning. Leonard gets a surprise he didn't expect.

To keep himself busy and in shape, he found a personal trainer to come by three times a week and a self defense trainer once a week. Not that he was expecting to be in a fight anytime soon, but his fighting skills had always been abysmal. If he was going to be a single parent he needed to be able to defend himself and his babies.

He took two mini courses on interior decorating and landscaping then set about designing a plan for the twins' rooms and his property. A landscaping professional was called in to work the land into shape and soon he had a back yard garden with flowers of the different planets he'd been blessed and _cursed_ to visit - an ever blooming reminder of a different life in a different time. An orchard and vegetable patch also with different alien foods also began taking shape as did a playground the children could play in when they got older.

It was a strain on his finances but Leonard didn't care. Whether it was the pregnancy hormones, his breaking up with Spock and Jim, the loss of his ability to doctor, being lost in time, or a combination of _everything_ he couldn't say. But he recognized the signs of depression when they were there. He was weepy, short-tempered (but when wasn't he?). He had trouble sleeping and concentrating, and was eating macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and black eye peas like they were going out of fashion which didn't help his weight gain or blood pressure.

So he set out to do things to fix it. Changing his environment and exercising helped a great deal. When he felt sad, he'd go sit in his garden and recall the missions to the planets his flowers had come from. Sometimes he'd call Christine or M'Benga who were happy to talk with him until he was his mean snappish self again. With the rapid growth products, his orchard and veggie patch produced edibles rather quickly and he could enjoy those things as he sat on the back porch swing looking at his land or inside with his feet propped up reading or writing articles. At twenty-eight weeks he felt confident he could do this without losing his mind.

Leonard woke up starving. Well, he wasn't really but the way the twins siphoned nutrients from him it sure as hell felt like it. If he missed one meal or one snack, it'd feel like he hadn't eaten in forever and he easily found himself eating twice as much to make up for it. He stretched and moaned at all the bones popping back into place. Gods he was too old for this. After rolling out of bed, he threw on one of Spock's old robes and made his way down to the kitchen.

"What are you in the mood for, my little darlins?" he asked opening the cabinets. To others it might seem strange to talk to the unborn and expect an answer but his twins actually let him know if they wanted something particular or not. Secretly he suspected they had some telepathic abilities like Spock.

"Kreyla and gespar?" He looked down at his stomach when there wasn't so much as a nudge.

"No vulcan goodies today, hmm?" He opened the refrigeration unit and peered inside. He had watermelon, cantaloupe, and honey dew cubed and sitting aside. He had planned to get some berries and grapes and make a giant fruit salad to eat while he sat on the back porch later. His mouth began to water.

"How bout some melon? I'll just buy something else when I go out to buy N'gaan and we'll have that and a milkshake. How's that sound?"

He recieved a small kick and smiled. Fruit salad it was. After polishing off half the bowl, Leonard showered and changed then hopped in his vehicle and headed off to the local farmer's market.

That was one thing about being back on solid ground. The local farmers still harvested real fruits and vegetables and not the replicated stuff that seldom tasted like the real thing on the ship. He came out once a week to get things not growing in his yard. His little darlins seemed to be more vegetarian like Spock though he had a hankerin' for a good burger and fries loaded with nacho cheese sauce or steak smothered in onions and peppers at least twice a week.

After the farmer's market, he headed to the grocery store for bread, milk, and some twizzlers. In terms of cravings he didn't have many. The ones he did have seemed to be of the sweet kind like pancakes with tons of butter and syrup or glazed chocolate donuts. But with his sugar issue, he made sure to limit his intake of sweets and carbs.

He was standing in line to pay for his goods when someone grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. His eyes widened in surprise as he met a familiar face. A slight panic set in. Although this version was younger, she looked just like his own Joanna.

Once she got a good look at his face, her cheeks turned red. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were my dad. But you have blue eyes."

She even sounded and acted just like his Joanna! Her hair was a little shorter than his Joanna's at that age but it was the same brown like his but her eyes were different. Probably because McCoy's eyes were hazel. He smiled. "It's alright. No harm done." He paid for his groceries and started to grab his bags. He paused when his robe got snagged. 

She stuck her hand out. "I'm Joanna." Her eyes landed on his belly. "Oh! Oh goodness. You're -"

His cover was that he was intersexed should someone ask but he didn't feel like explaining it. Leonard looked around to be sure no one was watching their exchange. "I'd prefer if you'd keep your voice down. It ain't anyone's business what I am or ain't."

Her soft cheeks pinkened as she lowered her voice. "That was rude of me." She grabbed his gallon of milk. "Lemme make it up to ya. I'll help ya with your groceries."

Leonard couldn't help notice the slip up in her speech when she was embarrassed. His Joanna also had the same little slip when embarrassed or angry. "That's mighty kind of ya. I 'preciate it." He adjusted the robe he wore so it didn't cling to his belly. It seemed the monk-like Vulcan robes were the only thing he could fit that would hide his stomach as long as he didn't turn certain ways.

"You related to a Doctor Leonard H. McCoy?" She asked as they walked to his vehicle.

He couldn't help the widening of his smile. "I've heard of him. Ain't he some fancy space doctor?"

She nodded and beamed with pride. "He's on the fleet's flagship, the Enterprise. Best doctor in the fleet."

He put his bags in the back of the vehicle then turned to face her. "You must be mighty proud."

Her smile widened as she rocked on her toes. _Like father like daughter_. The McCoys were rockers, anytime anywhere. "I am. We don't see each other much, but I'm very proud of him. I hope one day to be as fine a doctor as him."

He had to remember, this wasn't _his_ Joanna. In another time, in another reality, _his_ Joanna was already twenty-five and a nurse. His heart began to ache and tears stung his eyes. If she was anything like_ his_ Joanna, she would succeed at whatever she set out to do. He patted her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. "I'm sure he'll be proud of anything you do." He opened the door, longing to get home.

"It was really nice talkin' to ya. You remind me so much of my dad."

"I'm glad to hear it. You keep workin' hard and take care of yerself." He climbed into the driver's seat.

She grabbed the door before he could shut it, "Hey, wait! I didn't get your name."

He smiled and started the vehicle. "Leonar-_Leon_ Kirxtm."

She wrinkled her nose. "What a peculiar name." She stepped back and waved. "Take care of yourself, Leon."

"You too, darlin'." He shut the door and took off. Leonard was grateful for the autopilot function on the dash. Things became a blur as he returned to his ranch.

Of all things, he had not expected to run into Joanna. She was supposed to be halfway across the galaxy. She was so much like his own he had to resist the urge to hug her tightly. When she asked his name he almost told her his real name and only remembered the fake one at the last second.

Telling himself he had to accept reality and that who he met was not _his _Joanna, that he'd never see _his_ Joanna again only made him cry harder as the car landed in the driveway. He never felt so alone. Why did he leave Jim and Spock? Even if they were busy and he rarely got to see them, it would be _something_.

There were several thumps in his belly as if the twins were responding to his distress and trying to comfort him. He rubbed his stomach with one hand and his eyes with the other in an effort to calm himself down.

"Hello, my little darlins. I'm sorry I'm so melancholic. You guys shouldn't have to deal with this." He whispered to his belly. It felt like a soft caress from inside and he smiled. "We're gonna get through this. I promise."


	16. The Jig is Up

Leonard was down on his knees, digging in the dirt. It was early morning and already he was tired. When he awoke, he had a sudden craving for a Vulcan tea whose leaves he was growing in the garden. Only when he got out there, he found little critters gobbling up his plants so he was laying traps and setting up barriers to keep them out of his garden. Even though it was December, sweat rolled down the sides of his face and he knew his back and knees would protest later. But he'd be damned if he let the critters destroy his little slice of eden.

He sat back on his heels and pulled the sweatshirt from his sweaty skin trying to get some air to cool himself off. Now all he had to do was bait the traps and clean up the mess. He sighed. Gardening was hard work.

"Well, well, well," a voice said from behind him.

Leonard froze. This wasn't happening. This _couldn't_ be happening. How?! How did they find him?!

"We chased your clues all over the world, stalked your friends, and contacted over a dozen surveillance agencies only to find you here playing in the dirt,_ Leon Kirxtm_ \- the doctor formerly known as Bones."

"That _was_ a rather inventive combination of the first three letters of both our family names and the first four of your first name to derive your alias, Leonard."

Leonard's heart was racing like a track horse in the Kentucky derby. Never in a million years did he think they would find him so soon. His mind began working overtime trying to think of what to say, how to get out of this.

"Think you can just leave a message and end it like that?"

Oh boy. By that tone, Jim was steaming mad. Leonard set down the gardening tools and pulled his gardening gloves off but still didn't look up. "I admit, _at the time_, I thought it was a good idea."

Jim took a step closer. "The hell it was!"

Leonard sighed. He would be given no quarter it seemed. Jim was gonna have his pound of flesh. Leonard mentally braced himself for the onslaught.

"You thought you could just say what you wanted in that message and that was it!?" A shadow fell over him as Jim stepped up to left his side. He could practically feel the anger rolling off like a heavy fog. "Spock and I don't get a say!?"

Leonard didn't respond. What was there to say to that? He wanted to avoid the messy emotionalism and lengthy explanation of his feelings. He wanted a clean break. No fuss no muss. Or so he thought. He balled his hands into fists on his thighs.

"Say something you piece of shit!"

"Jim, cursing and yelling will not achieve anything," Spock said behind Leonard. "We are here to understand why Leonard left so we can try to rectify the situation."

"How are we supposed to if he doesn't say _anything_!? Huh!? You're always so hot headed and opinionated. What's the matter, Bones? Someone cut off your balls!?"

Leonard flinched and pressed against the side of his belly where one of the twins kicked him. He expected anger but this...this was wrath of the heavens. The kind Jim got when he felt betrayed by someone close to him. The wrath he felt when Spock stole the Enterprise and took Pike to the Thalossians without confiding in him of his plan. 

"Jim, you are emotionally compromised. Perhaps, it would be wise for us to leave and come back when you are more calm."

"I'm not leaving until I get answers!" Jim grabbed Leonard's arm in an iron grip. "Get on your feet and talk to me, you son of a bitch!"

Leonard yelped as Jim jerked him up by his arm and shoved him backward into Spock. He knew Jim was strong but not _that _strong. He lifted 104 kilo (240lbs) Leonard like he was a mere feather and with one hand.

Leonard put one hand protectively over his belly and one hand out to brace himself as he stumbled back into Spock's hard chest. His blue eyes were shards of ice as he glared at his ex lover.

How dare Jim put his hands on him. "You gotta lotta fuckin' nerve, _captain_." He took a half step forward. "You hankerin' for an asswhoopin', Jimmy boy? I'll wax yer ass up and down this here field if you put yer goddamn hands on me again!"

Jim wasn't looking at him. He was staring wide-eyed and slack jawed at his stomach. He had paled under his golden skin. It was then Leonard remembered he was wearing a sweatshirt that had ridden up and skin tight compression leggings.

He looked down and saw that Spock had an arm curled around his waist and his other hand resting on his belly. The Vulcan was rigid behind him as his fingers spread out over Leonard's exposed belly and stroked the taut flesh. The babies squiggled around as if they knew one of their fathers was touching them.

Leonard sighed and dropped his chin to his chest as the fight sapped out of him. Fuck him sideways.

"Leonard?" Spock's voice sounded watery and Leonard felt like a million knives were stabbing his heart. Spock hadn't deserved what Leonard had done to them. Even as busy as they'd been, Spock consistently tried to reassure Leonard of his love and support. Spock pulled him closer and pressed his nose to Leonard's neck.

Leonard patted his hand. "Let's go inside, hobgoblin. I'll explain everything."

Jim seemed to come out of his stupor and the anger came back. He got belly to belly with Leonard and spoke through clenched teeth. "You're damn right you will and it better be good."

"I deserved that," Leonard muttered, looking anywhere but at Jim's furious ambers. He looked over his shoulder as Spock took hold of his hand and squeezed tightly as if he was afraid to let go.

"We are not angry-"

"Speak for yourself, Spock!" Jim spat. "I'm furious! If he wasn't pregnant, I'd-"

Spock moved so that he was a shield between his two partners. His eyebrows drew down and his brown eyes seemed to blaze with fury. "I will not allow you to continue to talk to Leonard in that manner. I can only deduce that something happened while I was gone that prompted Leonard's decision to leave without telling us of the pregnancy and then breaking up with us."

The accusation knocked the wind from Jim's sails. He looked back and forth between the two of them. "Whatever." He stomped up to the house, boots pounding the back stairs. In a very un-captain like manner, he snatched the door open and held it for them.

Spock urged his beloved towards the house. He walked slowly and allowed Leonard to lean some of his weight on him. He put his hand on the small of Leonard's back and held his hand as Leonard grabbed the banister and slowly made his way up the stairs the way little kids do, two feet on one stair. Jim's face softened as he watched Leonard's struggle up the few steps.

Leonard stopped at the top of the steps and panted heavily.

"Are you alright, ashayam?"

Leonard nodded and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Just gimme a sec. These guys are havin' a wrestlin' match in there."

Jim's eyes widened. "Guys?"

Spock rubbed his entire belly. "You are carrying more than one."

With a sigh, Leonard forced himself forward. "Let's go inside. I'll answer all your questions."

Once inside, Spock ushered him past the kitchen and onto the sofa in the living room. Leonard protested and complained about the overbearing, rude, strong-arm tactics of houseguests. Spock ignored him and brought the ottoman over and put Leonard's feet up then put a pillow under his back. Leonard could hear Jim opening and closing cabinets and the sound of running water. They were making themselves right on at home.

Spock was standing in front of him with his hands on his slim hips. His eyes panned around the room cataloguing everything. "Leonard, this furniture is insufficient. Tomorrow we shall go to the nearest furniture store and procure a sofa with adequate lumbar support and a chair with multiple incline positions for your legs."

Leonard stroked the arm of the sofa. His furniture wasn't that uncomfortable. Spock was just being fussy. "This is just fine. I don't need no fancy furniture."

"I insist. You will be sitting and laying on this furniture with our children. Comfort should be a priority. Not functionionality or price."

Leonard tried to get out of his seat but ended up looking like a pillbug on its back so he just flopped back and pointed his finger up at his ex-lover. "Listen here! You can't just come in here and -"

Spock's eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And what? Make sure the bearer of my children is as comfortable as I can make them even if they seem to want nothing to do with me for reasons undisclosed to me?"

Leonard stared off to the side trying to hide his face but his ears were burning just as much as his cheeks. Spock knew how to hit him with a bull's-eye when he wanted to. His eyes widened and he pushed back into the cushions as Spock leaned forward and caged him in. Leonard could feel the heat radiating off his skin and see the ironwilled determination smoldering in those coffee black eyes.

"You may not have wanted me to know," those eyes flickered down to Leonard's belly then back up to pierce those blues. "But now that I do, I will not let you keep me away."

Leonard's heart was thundering so hard in his chest he was sure Spock could hear it. He'd never seen Spock dig his heels in like this before. But he didn't want Spock to stay just out of some sense of duty. He didn't belong on Earth with Leonard.

Leonard clenched his teeth and glared at him. "Yeah?! Well, I...I don't love you anymore! That's why I ran away! You read my message. Why can't you get that through your thick, green blooded skull?"

One of Spock's eyebrows went up and he looked almost amused by Leonard's last ditch attempt at pushing him away. "You are not being truthful." He pecked Leonard's forehead then stood back up with his hands behind his back. Jim walked in with a tray and three steaming mugs before he could respond so Leonard just flopped back with his arms crossed atop his belly and glared at the table.

Spock took a steaming mug of cocoa and handed it to Leonard then sat next to him on the sofa. Jim chose to sit in an armchair across from them with a tea. His hazel eyes were like shards of amber glass as they bore into Leonard.

Words failed Leonard as he licked his dry lips. He wasn't prepared to do this now. With the complications he was having with the twins, and the pressure to finish his nursing program before they were born, he felt overwhelmed. He was thankful for the saucer under the mug because his once steady hands began to shake as he lifted the mug to his lips.

Spock, afraid he would scald himself, took the cocoa from Leonard and set it on the table. Leonard quietly thanked him then put his arms around his belly as if to hide it. Some of his nerves went away when Spock's hand landed on his knee and gave a gentle squeeze.

Jim sighed. This was not what he expected. Not in a million years. "Bones...I'm sorry. I just...It's a lot to take in. You told us you were coming to upgrade your credentials. We had to hear from McCoy that you weren't even qualified to be a doctor anymore."

"Would it have made a difference if you knew?" Leonard asked quietly.

"Yes!" Jim exploded, making Leonard jump. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. "Dammit, we could've talked to some people, try to fast track you on some medical program or something."

Leonard shook his head. "It would take me years, Jim, years to become qualified to do a job I've already been doin' for twenty odd years. I don't have that kind of time or energy." He looked at his belly. "Not anymore."

"How far along are you?" Spock asked quietly.

"Twenty-eight weeks."

Jim and Spock glanced sharply at each other. Leonard watched the cogs begin to spin in both their minds as they worked out the time-line.

"You mean to say you got pregnant..."

Leonard nodded. "At the tail end of Spock's second pon far."

Jim rubbed his hands together as he sat up straighter. "How?"

"Well, after that human-Andorian couple we had came to us wanting to concieve, we tried to solve the problem of same sex couples and interspecies couples not being able to create a child without extensive and invasive medical interventions. We created an implant that would allow that to happen. Seemed only fitting one of us should test it out." Leonard smiled as he rubbed his stomach. "Fourth time's the charm."

"The sickness you were experiencing when we first arrived? The low blood sugar?" Jim asked.

Leonard nodded. "Typical pregnancy stuff mixed with the babies leechin' iron and copper and other nutrients from my body."

Nobody spoke for a while.

Not trusting his hands to handle a mug full of fluid, Leonard reached over to the side table and picked up a bundle of yarn and crochet needle. He hooked the needle and thread and wove it through the various loops on what appeared to be a baby blanket with gold, grey, and blue stripes. He began crotcheing long ago as a way to maintain manual dexterity which was important to a surgeon. Right now, it was helping him keep his mind on other things and provide the items he needed for the nursery. There was a basket near Spock's foot that he was sure both men had seen with blankets, booties, and mits for the twins.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever. He glanced up from his handiwork to see both men lost in thought. Jim was watching him with narrowed eyes, his thumb rubbing against his index finger. Spock had his fingers laced together, both index fingers to his lips and his thumbs under his chin.

What were they thinking? What were they going to do? What did Leonard _want _them to do? Did he want to try their relationship again if they suggested it? Other than not having time together, things were generally good between them. If that was the case, they had a lot of talking to do. Children needed their parents around. 

What if they didn't _want_ to be around? 

That gave him pause. He would be okay. Wouldn't he? After all, he'd been fine so far without them. But what of the children now that they knew of their existence? How would the children grow in the future without the influence of their other parent? How would they feel knowing their other parent chose chasing the stars to raising them?

He sighed. His life was getting complicated.


	17. Cards on the Table

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything gets laid out in the open.

“Glad you’ve been keeping busy,” Jim said at last.

“Yer angry. I get it.” Leonard sighed and tried to rein in his accent. “There was no reason for me to stay with ya’ll. You’re both real space cadets, have been since your academy days together. You like exploring the unknown, the danger. You need to be free to explore and do the things you do.”

He looked around. Jim was sitting back in the chair with his arms over his chest. Spock had his hands clasped in his lap.

“But not me,” Leonard swallowed down the lump in his throat and continued. “I’m not cut out for space with all my phobias. I’m just holdin’ ya back. Bein’ saddled down wit kids isn’t for you and bein’ stuck on Earth with _me_ isn’t for ya, either.”

Spock reached over and took Leonard’s hand in his. Leonard shivered at the tingles shooting down his arm. “You did not give us the choice, Leonard.”

His eyes searched Spock’s and saw sadness. He turned to Jim. “Would you be able to give up space so easily?” When he got no answer he turned back to Spock. “After hearin’ how Nero nearly wiped out your people in this reality and hearin’ how they still struggle, would you have been able to turn your back on them and settle here to be with me and these children?”

“As they are partly mine, I would have sought a way to compromise. Perhaps have you and the children move to the colony or request the Enterprise be refitted to allow for families.”

Leonard held up his hand and shook his head. “No way Jose. Not after hearin’ ‘bout how you was treated. I’d be kicked off the planet for startin’ an interstellar incident for someone botherin’ my little hobgoblins.” He balled up his work and set the yarn and needle to the side. “And I’m not raisin’ my babies on no tin plated death trap. If some space disease doesn’t get ‘em, some trigger happy, hostile alien race will.”

Jim ran his fingers through his hair as Spock sat quietly with a slight frown on his face.

“Listen,” he licked his lips and swallowed hard. “I don’t want anything from you. We’ve been fine on our own.”

“Leonard-”

“Bones-”

He held up his hand. “I understand if you can’t decide or don’t want this. So much has happened in the last few months. In a way it’s a new world and if you want to pursue other...relationships it’s fine.”

Spock crossed his arms over his chest. “Leonard, I do not understand. Why would you think that we are interested in pursuing other relationships? Logically, because so much has happened, we should want to stick with that which is familiar.”

“Look, I don’t delude myself. I’m older than both of you. You were probably only attracted to me because you didn’t have many options before. Plus that fraternization rule in Starfleet made it hard to get with anyone of the crew." 

He paused for a moment thinking over all of Jim's exploits. That fraternization rule never seemed to stop him. There had been several crewmembers Jim had gotten with and Leonard wasn't convinced he hadn't had a piece of Yeoman Rand a time or two. Shaking his head, he continued. 

"But it’s different here.” He looked at Jim. “If there are younger, more attractive people you wish to pursue, then by all means. Have at it.”

Spock looked back and forth between them. The energy between his two humans crackled with intensity. Clearly he had missed something. “Jim, to what is Leonard referring?”

Jim held Leonard’s gaze. “I dunno. You’ll have to ask him.”

Leonard broke their little staring match and looked at Spock. So he was playing Captain Oblivious. Fine. So be it. “Jim here seems to think my unattached counterpart is quite the looker.”

Spock frowned and tilted his head to the side. “Clarify.”

Leonard leaned back with a crooked smile on his face. “Jim was fawning all over my younger counterpart the last time he and I were together.”

“I just said you were good looking!” Jim huffed.

“No. You said - and I quote- ‘_he’s _extremely good looking. _He’s_ got that tight little body and those hazel eyes that turn green when_ he’s_ upset.”

Spock whipped around with a look of horror mixed with anger. “Why would you say that to Leonard?”

Jim’s shoulders went up to his ears and he held his palms up. “It was a compliment! He looks good at any age. I just wish I’d known him sooner.”

The frown on Spock’s face deepened. “Surely, you could see how such statements would upset Leonard.”

“They’re basically the same person!”

There was a tic working in Spock’s jaw. Normally it was Leonard working every ounce of his patience and making him remember the teachings of Surak. “On the contrary. While they share many characteristics and features, they are fundamentally different people. Just as you and I are different from our counterparts, so too, is he. How could you be ignorant of something like that?”

Jim sprang to his feet and started pacing. “Oh for heaven’s sake! It’s not like I would sleep with him!”

“You wanted to,” Leonard muttered.

Jim’s eyes narrowed. “How do you figure?”

“Oh, come on, Jim!” Leonard rocked and rolled trying to stand before Spock helped him to his feet. “You called me _his _name!”

Jim started to walk up to him but stopped when Spock stood between them. “What? When?”

“When we were having sex you called me McCoy!” Leonard jabbed the air in front of his chest. “You _never_ call me McCoy in bed, Jim!”

Spock crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed those brown eyes on Jim who had paled. Leonard wiped angry tears from his eyes.

“How would you feel if I complimented your younger self right before I called you Kirk while in bed? While you were buried deep in me, my mind was on a younger James T. Kirk with blue eyes instead of hazel?”

Spock arched a brow and turned to look at Jim.

Jim pursed his lips together and looked down at the floor. He wouldn’t like it. Not at all. “I...apologise. Until this moment, I hadn’t seen it that way.”

Leonard scoffed and rolled his eyes. “No kiddin’.”

One mystery down. Spock thought carefully of what he would say next. “Leonard, while I understand your anger with Jim and desire to leave him, I fail to understand why you chose to abandon me as well. I was not there. I did not do anything to upset you. Why did I not deserve to know about the children or your unhappiness?”

Running a hand through his hair, Leonard sighed. He'd been sighing a lot it seemed. “I tried to tell you but something always came up. You always put the needs of the many before the few or, in this case, the one. I didn’t want you to feel that you had to choose and then be filled with regret for the one you did not choose.”

“Regret is a human emotion. You know that I-”

Leonard held up his hand. “Yer barkin’ up the wrong tree iffn you think I’m finna swallow that horseshit.”

Spock started to reply but stopped when Leonard’s hand covered his mouth. Damn literal Vulcans! No way he was about to unravel that mess of colorful colloquial language he just let out.

“It means I’m not buying your nonsense about not feeling regret. You do. I _know_ you do. I see it in your eyes. You would feel you sacrificed your children for a whole planet or a planet selfishly for your own children.”

Spock gave a slight nod of understanding.

Leonard sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Besides, you and Jim are both younger. Everyone wants a piece of you. People fall all over themselves to be next to you. You can start over. Help your people or traipse all over the galaxy together...or whatever without restraints.”

“You assume that is we want. That that is what I want.”

Leonard looked between the two men. Jim was looking at the floor. “Isn’t it?”

“If it was, would I be here?” Spock replied.

“You sure you want to be here?” Leonard sat back down and rubbed his stomach. “Be stuck on Earth with kids?” Clearly Spock wasn't thinking of what he'd be giving up.

“I do not consider being with you and raising my children as being ‘stuck.’ After all that has happened, the fact that you even thought to continue the pregnancy and raise them alone is admirable. You, too, could have started over and done something else with your life.”

“I didn't consider any other options.”

Spock turned to their other partner. “What about you, Jim?”

Jim looked up and crossed his arms but didn’t say anything.

“You’ve been awful quiet,” Leonard muttered.

Jim rubbed his chin with his thumb. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know that I’m cut out for domesticity, Bones. This pregnancy is a total surprise.”

“I know.”

“You didn’t even consult us about it.”

They'd actually had a few random conversations here and there before the experiment and Spock's pon farr. At the time, both had been okay with having children at some point. “I was only testing to see if the falutero took and its viability. We’d tried a few times before and they all failed. The potency of Spock’s sperm wasn’t a variable I had considered.”

Jim smiled. “Sounds like bad science to me.”

Before he could respond, Leonard’s stomach rumbled loud enough for them to hear. Leonard felt his cheeks warm up as he gave his stomach a light pat. He’d forgotten he was gathering the herbs for his tea when Jim and Spock showed up.

“I need to feed these guys.” He grabbed the arm of the couch and tried to pull himself up. “Gimme a sec. I’ll make us something.”

Both men took one of his hands and put a hand at his back for support. Leonard grunted as he was pulled to his feet and rubbed his lower back. They were so close he could smell their colognes. He licked his lips and rubbed his stomach in an effort to calm his racing heart. Jim stepped back so Leonard could wobble past him.

Once in the kitchen, he filled the kettle and put it on the stove. What a day and it was still early enough for breakfast. “Have a seat. This won’t take long.”

“Do you require assistance, Leonard?” Spock asked walking towards him.

Leonard smiled at his thoughtfulness. “No, darlin’. I got this.” He set about making the tea he had been meaning to make and a light breakfast with toast, fruit, and cheese while Jim and Spock spoke amongst themselves. Leonard tried not to think about what the topic of their conversation could be. 

Everything came together rather quickly. Despite his rejection of their help, Jim set out the dishes and Spock had gotten the silverware and retrieved the mugs from the living room for cleaning. Soon as the tea finished brewing, he set everything down on the table and then sat in the chair pulled out for him by Jim.

“Well, dig in,” Leonard smiled.

Spock took a look at the spread. “These are all Vulcan foods.”

“Mmhmm.” Leonard spread the jam over his toast. “They prefer mostly Vulcan foods for breakfast and lunch and human foods for dinner.”

“They sound well rounded to me,” Jim smiled tearing a piece of his bread.

“They are. Even though Spock is vegetarian, it seems they recognize my body’s need for protein and desire for meat.”

Spock arched a brow. “Fascinating.”

Leonard couldn’t help but smile. How he missed constantly hearing that one word. They chatted while they ate. Jim and Spock told him about their eight week mission with the other Enterprise and updated him on what was happening on the colony and their Enterprise.

Sarek had been surprised to see another incarnation of his son. A much older Spock they called Spock Prime, had been sucked into this time and stranded on Delta Vega. He had helped defeat the crazed Romulan Nero and lived out the rest of his days on New Vulcan. He’d died a few years prior to their arrival so Spock hadn’t been able to meet him. He had been told that Spock was more attuned to his human side and clearly not afraid to show emotion from time to time. 

Enterprise was being refit to the technological standards of this reality and would serve as a diplomatic vessel in a year or despite prior reports. Jim lamented how she was now going to be a ferry boat for pompous politicians. He felt reduced as a captain. Gone were the glory days, darting out into danger and exploring the unknown.

“Now that you have consumed enough nutrients to pacify the children, we need to resolve our earlier conversation,” Spock said gathering the dishes and taking them into the kitchen.

Leonard sat back in his seat and put his hands on top of his stomach. He didn’t want to talk anymore. “I told you guys all I had to say.” He looked over at Jim. For all his anger and bluster earlier, Jim had been mostly silent.

“However, you never said whether or not you wanted us to stay and try to work out our problems.” Spock walked back into the room and set a glass of water next to Leonard. “You never said that you wanted us to do this together.”

Leonard melted at the pleading look in Spock’s eyes. “I do, Spock. Bless my soul. I have missed you guys somethin’ fierce. But I’m not selfish enough to bind you to me.”

Spock put his hand over Leonard’s and smiled. “I would be amenable to staying here with you.” He held his other hand up with his thumb, ring, and pinky fingers folded. Leonard smiled and pressed the tips of their index and middle fingers together. Spock leaned down and kissed him gently.

They both looked at Jim.

Jim folded his hands together on top of the table. “This domestic thing isn’t really for me. You and Spock are good at that stuff. Taking care of others. You can be content staying in one place, doing your research or teaching. That’s not me. I'm a starship captain. It's what I've trained for. It's what I know. I need to be out there. Sitting still would...," he looked up into Leonard's eyes. "Well, you know.”

Leonard nodded. He could definitely understand Jim's feelings. It hurt none the same. There was a small part of him that wished _he_ was more important than anything out there. That Jim would try to fight for their relationship. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

“I’ll provide for them, of course," Jim hastily added. "And see them as often as I can when I’m on this side. I just…”

Leonard stood and waddled up to him. He ran his fingers through the side of Jim’s hair. “It’s fine, Jim. That’s honest and fair.”

Jim stood and wrapped his arms tightly around Leonard, squishing them together. “You don’t hate me. Do you, Bones?” he whispered.

Leonard kissed the side of his cheek and sighed. Though his heart ached, he forced himself to smile. “No. I couldn’t if I tried.”

Jim and Spock stayed and helped Leonard with his chores and whatever else he needed to do for the day. Spock cooked dinner and Jim helped clean up. Later, they sat down with Leonard to watch a movie. It was the first time the three of them had spent an entire day together uninterrupted in six months or so. He tried to stay upbeat and enjoy the company of the two men he loved. His heart ached at all the changes they’d been through in such a short time and that their new circumstances meant the romantic end of one of his relationships.

As his thoughts turned despondent, slender fingers massaged his scalp and lightly pulled his hair. Leonard leaned into the touch and closed his eyes as calm washed over him. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.


	18. The How

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Spock learn exactly how the twins came to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This chapter is extremely pseudo-techno-sciencey so if that's not your thing skip this chapter. 
> 
> *I used Memory Alpha and Memory Beta for a lot of non-canon related information but some of it doesn't always agree. For example, one says M'Benga's name is Joseph and the other says it's Jabilo or Geoffrey. I chose Joseph. And while some say Spock's last name is S'chn T'gai, it is argued that the book where this name came from is not canon and his last name (unpronounceable by humans) is Xtmprsqzntwlfd which gives us the three letters Leonard used for his alias Leon KirXTM.

Leonard had to admit there were advantages to being off active duty. Starfleet kept Jim, Spock, Kirk, younger Spock, McCoy, and someone from the vulcan colony in closed door meetings for three days. All he knew was it was about something scientific or another. He didn’t understand the secrecy. Leonard also didn’t envy them. The brass could be long-winded and talked in circles often. During that time, Spock commed whenever he had a chance.

They returned the day before his check-up with M’Benga just as he was about to go to the lab and do his daily tests and measurements. Both men seemed solely focused on his medical status and bombarded him with questions before he could get to work.

He sat on the new sofa with his feet propped up and his stomach acting as a tray holding up his salad as they questioned him. He would never say so to his face but, the Vulcan knew his stuff. The new furniture was so comfortable. Leonard’s back and knees didn’t snap, crackle, and pop when he stood up. No more lower back pain. Not to mention he didn’t struggle nearly as much to get up.

“Do you have a doctor?” Jim asked.

“I do,” Leonard said munching around a cucumber. “It’s M’Benga. He’ll be here tomorrow.”

Spock nodded. “And how are you monitoring the pregnancy?”

Leonard smiled. What a worrywort. “Since pregnant men are still an oddity, we thought it was a good idea to keep the pregnancy secret. We have a small lab and birthing room set up that we use to monitor the pregnancy, take tests, and collect our data.”

Jim turned from where he’d been looking at photos of them on a shelf. “Really? Labs can be pricey. Where did the money for the equipment come from?”

Leonard eyed his captain and former lover with a raised brow. Why was he asking that question? Did he not see the message from Starfleet regarding the equipment? “We were allowed a few pieces of equipment from our Enterprise and McCoy sent us a few ‘obsolete’ pieces due for scrap. The rest Joseph and I bought with our own money with donations from Chapel and Sanchez.”

That didn’t seem to concern Spock one bit. It was the fact that Leonard had managed to set up a lab to continue his research that held his interest. Secretly, he was just relieved there was somewhere safe for the children to be born where they could get the best medical treatment possible. Next to Leonard, Dr. M’Benga was the most qualified doctor in the universe that he’d trust with his offspring.

“Leonard, if you are agreeable, I would be interested in seeing your lab. Perhaps I could offer some assistance.”

Ever the curious scientist. Leonard eyed him for a moment then shrugged. Why not? The research could be used to boost the small numbers on New Vulcan. He put his plate on the side table then put his feet down so he could get up. He let out a quiet gasp when Jim and Spock stood and pulled him up.

He hadn’t thought much of his libido since that time in the bathroom with Spock and boy was it trying to come back with a vengeance. Remembering he’d stripped out of his robe and that his compression leggings showed everything, Leonard forced himself to think of disgusting, slimy things.

It was difficult with Jim so close to his front. “It’s um...th-that way,” he said pointing past Jim. Jim stepped to the side to let him wobble by. Leonard forced himself to breathe normally as he lead them to a door off the side of the kitchen. When he saw the stairs, Spock hurried to his side and wrapped an arm supportively around his waist. Leonard tried to pull away.

“I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” he glared.

“It is logical to accept help when it is offered when you are having difficulty walking,” Spock quickly replied.

“Well, we humans- _especially_ men- have a thing called pride that prevents us from asking for help.”

Spock gave him a droll look. “Pride is illogical.”

Leonard looked over his shoulder at Jim who just shrugged as if to say ‘you know how he is.’ Together, he and Spock made their way down the staircase with Jim trailing behind with his hands in his pockets. The lights and equipment automatically came on when the door opened. Jim’s mouth hung agape as he and Spock looked around in awe.

The brightly lit lab was in the basement and was the entire length and width of the house.

One wall was full of monitors and panels. Another wall to the left housed a biobed, incubator, and two small baby bins for when the twins were born. The wall nearest the stairs had a freezer, microscopes, test tubes and various other items for sample collection. The last wall held a large machine for full body scans and projections.

“This is mighty impressive. And you say some of this was scrap?” Jim’s hand stroked the top of a med cart. “I can’t imagine the top of the line stuff.”

Spock raised a brow at Jim then turned back to Leonard. “I realize most of this was done in secret. Can you tell me anything about your research? I would like to understand how all of this is possible. It has far reaching implications.”

Leonard picked up a padd off the desk and tapped it a few times. Several images appeared on the monitors. He tapped again and a simulation began to play. “As I said, we created a falsus utero - falutero for short. Then we created ovum out of the carrier’s stem cells on file and implanted a small sac full of these ova and the falutero inside the abdominal cavity. For a woman this would just go inside the existing uterus. Like normal conception, this provides half of the fetus’ genetic material. During copulation, sex hormones trigger the release of an egg from the sac. Once fertilized, it begins to develop.”

Spock rubbed his chin. “How do the sperm get there?”

A small screen appeared with a small black dot. Leonard magnified the dot and they saw a small silver object. To Spock they looked like upside down crescent moons with two tiny legs. As Leonard zoomed out, a horde of them appeared on the screen.

“For men, the programmed nanites detect which species the carrier is and stimulate the endocrine glands to secrete hormones that temporarily modifies the carrier’s body so that they can be impregnated and deliver in the manner normal for their species.” Leonard blinked a few times as he watched the screen.

Jim stood by the bio bed with his hands in his pockets as he watched. The science behind it all wasn’t really his thing but he did grasp the basic concept. “So they become intersexed...temporarily.”

Leonard nodded. “Basically.”

Spock stood in front of the screen watching the nanites do their job and absorbing all the data. “Fascinating.”

Jim waited until the simulation ended to ask a question that had been bothering him since he found out Leonard was pregnant. “Who is the father of the twins?”

Looking back and forth between the two men as if annoyed, Leonard cocked a brow. Why would Jim ask such an obvious question. “Both of you.”

Jim frowned. “Both? How? How is that possible? Isn’t it the first sperm that gets there wins?”

Spock frowned at the notion that their sperm were in some sort of race to claim an egg. “Jim - “

A laugh bubbled out of Leonard before he could stop it. “Apparently, your sperm and Spock’s sperm fused together and fertilized the egg. We think that ability to bond with other sperm is something specific to Vulcans. But they are so tight-lipped about their sexual practices, we can’t be too sure how that happened.”

“But didn’t we have sex before the implant? The sperm should have...died off,” Jim insisted.

Leonard nodded. “The falutero wasn’t implanted until a week after Spock’s second pon far. Near as we can figure the sperm were still in there marinatin’, lyin’ in wait.”

Spock nodded in agreement. “It seems the most plausible explanation. If I am not mistaken, in a normal human the sperm live three to seven days. For vulcans, it can live up to twenty when in pon farr. Specialized proteins and amino acids protect it until it has achieved its goal. It is a possibility one of mine fused with one of yours before it could die off.”

Jim smirked. “You telling me you have super sperm?”

Spock would never admit that he gave Jim a shit eating grin. “Since pon far only occurs every seven years, our bodies do the utmost to ensure impregnation.”

Leonard rolled his eyes. The smug bastard.

“How does the falutero work after impregnation?” Spock asked.

“Nanites create a suitable environment for growth inside the falutero implanted in the carrier.” Leonard tapped his padd and another simulation ran. The little nanites were moving around the falutero. “As the fetus grows, they adjust the environment to suit the needs of the developing child while protecting the carrier. They also prevent the carrier’s immune system from seeing the falutero and fetus as invaders and attacking them. In the case of an andorian male and vulcan female carrier, the interior of the falutero would be suitably cooler for the growing fetus while a thin layer would act as a barrier protecting the carrier and keeping the temp for both at nominal levels.”

“Observe.” Leonard tapped his padd twice. A mechanical arm with a half hoop came down from the ceiling. A blue light projected out and scanned him from head to toe. When it was finished, a three dimensional projection of him was displayed in the center of the room. He tapped the padd again and layer by layer was stripped away until they had a cross sectional view of his stomach with the twins inside. They could see the little nanites at rest.

A small screen popped up in the corner showeing the temperature inside the falutero was 94.8 degrees, the average of the internal body temperature of Vulcan and humans combined, while outside Leonard’s internal temperature remained at 98.6. Leonard picked up a heating pad and placed it on his stomach. His internal temperature rose by one degree. The nanites sprang into action cooling the inside of the falutero so it stayed 94.8 degrees.

Jim and Spock watched in awe. One twin was upside down and the other was right side up and they were curled into each other. Neither moved when the nanites went to work. Side by side, both men reached out to touch the holographic image. Each twin extended a hand in response. Jim gasped as his fingers passed through when he tried to touch the tiny fingertips of the hologram. He turned to Leonard, his eyes glittered with tears.

“Bones...how?”

“They are telepathic.” Spock’s voice sounded choked with tears.

Leonard rocked on his feet with a huge grin. “I suspected they were. They always seem to know what I want or how I feel,” he replied.

Jim wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. “Bones, this...this is astounding.”

“What are these images over here?” Spock pointed at a corner of the screen.

Leonard looked at the screen and squinted at the suddenly blurry image. Darn pregnancy was messing with his vision. He rubbed his eyes. “Based on their genetics, the computer spits out possible combinations of what they might look like. Without a doubt ours will both have dark hair. Skin color to be determined, but somewhere in the creamy peach range with some yellow undertones. Due to Spock’s mother having blue eyes, and my parents having blue eyes there is the possibility of blue. With Jim’s parents having brown and green and Sarek having brown, brown eyes are also a possibility.”

“What do you think is most likely?” Jim asked rubbing his hands together.

Leonard brushed the hair off his forehead. “Probably blue eyes with some brown or brown eyes with some blue.” He shrugged. “Who’s to say? Genetics can be tricky when it comes to eye color.”

Spock read all the data on the display. “Fascinating.”

Jim picked up a padd and glanced at it. “And you’ve been doing all this research on your own?”

“Well, it’s research we started on the Enterprise so M’Benga’s been helping me along. We send a report to Sanchez since he was the original couple’s doctor. Oh, and Nurse Chapel is assisting us as well.”

Jim nodded. “I see.”

“Are these results reproducible?” Spock asked turning to face him.

Leonard shrugged. “If we can counter some of the negative effects like the rapid excessive weight gain, diabetes, and high blood pressure, yes. As you can see,” he patted his stomach. “It’s been successful so far.”

“Would you be agreeable to speak with the scientists on New Vulcan? This may aid their slow reproductive numbers. Binary cloning has not been as effective as they hoped and invitro even less so.”

“I don’t see why not.”

“You should share with McCoy as well,” Jim replied.

Leonard narrowed his eyes. Still thinking of his counterpart, eh? Just because Jim and Leonard weren’t together didn’t mean he wanted to know about any others.

Jim held his hands up in surrender. “I merely suggested it because it might help couples besides the Vulcans. That is why you started it, yes?”

Leonard gritted his teeth. Damn his soul for being right. “Very well.”

“I apologise if it upsets you. It’s just he’s the only other doctor I know from this reality that would be able to do the right thing with your work.”

“Uh huh.” He jabbed his finger on the padd and started shutting down equipment. He didn’t know why he was mad. He shouldn’t be. McCoy had never done anything to him so he had no reason to dislike him. Jim wasn’t his and could do as he pleased.

Cool thumbs rubbed under his eyes, wiping away warm tears he didn’t know had fallen. He looked up from the padd into Spock’s warm browns.

“Getting upset is not healthy for you or the children, Leonard.”

“I can’t help it. It’s the blasted hormones.”

Spock raised a brow. “The hormones or the loss of Jim in our relationship?”

Leonard didn’t say anything. It was the latter, of course. It was just one more loss to the long list of things he’d lost.

Spock leaned down so their foreheads touched. “Do not burden yourself with those thoughts. I shall endeavor to make up for all those losses and fill you up with the happiness you deserve.”

Leonard laid his head on Spock’s chest to hide his embarrassment. Stupid, romantic, pointy-eared computer!


	19. Emotionally Compromised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and Leonard have a mini heart to heart.

Leonard had gotten over his tantrum after Jim made him a grilled steak with all the trimmings with potatoes, green beans, and a salad. The saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” was true at this point in time. It’s kind of hard to be sad when you’re chewing on a delicious steak. He and Jim were sitting on the heated back porch having after dinner drinks. Jim was looking out into the back yard, quietly sipping a beer. Leonard was nursing a warm cocoa. Spock was puttering around in the kitchen.

Once more, both had stayed the entire day with Leonard. He was grateful. It helped relieve him of his boredom and loneliness. For a short time, he could delude himself that things weren't that bad. 

But Leonard could feel something was wrong with Jim. Even though they no longer labeled their relationship as lovers or boyfriends, they were still more than friends. To Leonard, Jim seemed sad and distant. Outwardly he was acting normal but every now and again Leonard would see sadness and longing in those sparkling ambers.

He wracked his brain trying to figure out the cause of it. Was it being stranded in 2267? Was it the loss of the Enterprise as a deep space vessel or her reduction to diplomatic transport? Was Jim blaming himself for what happened to them-to the crew? Was it the loss of their relationship? But why should the latter matter?

He swirled the liquid in his mug around like he used to do with his brandy. He surely wish he had one right about now. “Jim, you’ve been awful quiet the last few days. Normally, you and Spock are talkin' a mile a minute. I feel like I’m doin’ all the talkin’.”

Jim kept looking out into the yard. “Just taking it all in, I guess.” He fiddled with the pull on his zipper then sighed heavily. “It’s incredible you know. What you’ve done since we got here.”

Leonard quirked a brow. “How so?”

Jim turned to him with a smile. “You solved a problem that existed in two realities with nothing but what you had at hand.”

Leonard smiled awkwardly. He’d always been inventive and resourceful. That was nothing new.

“You did it with little help and at great personal cost without losing your mind.”

“I dunno 'bout that last part,” Leonard drawled. “There are days I melt into a puddle of teary goo.”

Jim’s smile grew bigger. “You’re pregnant. It’s allowed.”

Leonard gave a small nod. Jim was deflecting. He only did that when something serious was bothering him that he didn’t really want to talk about. Concern laced Leonard’s voice as he reached for Jim’s hand. “What’s really goin’ on with you, Jim?”

“You didn’t need us,” Jim looked back into the yard. “All this you accomplished without us.”

Leonard frowned. He didn’t understand where Jim was going with his thoughts. “You two were runnin’ ‘round doin’ what needed to be done and even though I understood it, I was fallin’ apart. What was I s’posed to do? I had to pull myself together somehow so I buried myself in work.”

Jim squeezed Leonard’s hand then kissed his knuckles and let go. He let out a long sigh and drank the rest of his beer. “It just reaffirms what I’ve thought all along.”

“And what’s that?”

He looked at Leonard. “I have no purpose here.”

Leonard’s brows drew together in confusion. Here where? This time and reality? Here with Leonard?

“If I can’t be there when you need me,” Jim continued, “then I shouldn’t be here.”

So that’s what this was about. Jim felt unnecessary in the relationship and apparently had for some time. “Now wait just a minute!” Leonard blustered. “Imma grown man. Just because I don’t need you to rescue me like some damsel in distress doesn’t mean you don’t make me happy or that I don’t want you.”

“But why?” Jim stood and began pacing. “You can take care of yourself. Even when the chips are down. Why would you want someone who was so busy paying attention to everything else that he neglected you?”

Leonard felt a mild panic set in. Jim was going to leave him permanently. He didn’t want that. “Jim-”

“You and Spock mesh seamlessly. He’s attuned to _everything _about you. Even on the ship, there is a small part of him that always has you in mind.” Jim cupped his chin in his large, calloused hand and smiled sadly. “You’re better off without me.” Before Leonard could get out of his seat, Jim stormed into the house and headed for the front door. He collided with Spock in the doorway.

“Jim, what has happened?” Spock had gone to the car to retrieve his day bag which held his meditation robe. He could feel the distress radiating off him.

“I’m leaving.” Jim pushed past him and quickly rushed down the stairs with Spock on his heels.

“May I inquire as to why?”

“Seems he’s all set. I’m not really needed around here.”

“I fail to see how you came up with that deduction.”

“Bones has everything he needs now.” He clapped Spock on the shoulder and smiled. “Take care of him.”

“Jim, wait!” Spock called out as Jim jumped in the car. Sobbing reached his ears as Jim cranked up the vehicle and sped off. Confused, Spock walked through the house to find Leonard in the kitchen crying. He had one hand rubbing his belly and the other pressed a cloth to his eyes to catch his tears.

What happened that fast between the two? He knew their relationship had been strained lately and he was at a loss on how to mend it. Spock softly touched his shoulder. “Leonard?”

“He just up and left with some cockamamie bullshit of an excuse!” Leonard wailed, making Spock cringe back at the volume.

Spock took his hand and lead him over to a chair. He could feel the thrum of sadness, anger, confusion coursing through Leonard. “What did Jim say?”

“That I did everything by myself and didn’t need him.” Leonard took a deep breath trying to calm down his nerves.

A non-Vulcan like sigh escaped Spock’s lips. Why were these two so quick to jump to conclusions and react based on such? “Indeed. Jim said much the same to me.”

“But why?!” Leonard looked at him with dripping eyes. “I never said I didn’t want or need him. He said that all on his own. A-and even if I didn’t need him to take care of me doesn’t mean I don’t want him around!”

“It is obvious that Jim, too, is going through some emotional turmoil that he does not wish to share with us. All we can do is let him work through it and let him know we are here for him.”

Leonard sniffled. “I didn’t know you were a psychologist now.”

Spock gave the slightest hint of a smile. “You know I am not. However, being in close proximity with two humans as intimately as I have been the last few years, has given me some insight to the human psyche.” He took the towel and wiped Leonard’s cheeks then kissed his forehead. “Come, k'diwa. It is late and you need rest. Doctor M’Benga would not be pleased if you were overtired during your examination tomorrow.”

Leonard gave his shoulder a light smack and pointed a finger at him. “I’m the doctor here. I’ll tell _you_ if and when _I_ need rest.”

Vulcans do not get annoyed. Spock stood and straightened out his shirt. “As you wish. I shall go meditate in the guest room until you are ready.”

“You’re going to stay?”

“Jim was my ride. I will take a taxi back to the hotel after you have retired for the evening.”

Leonard pulled on a strand of his brown locks with a frown. “Why waste the credits? You can stay here tonight and I’ll take you in the mornin'.”

“There is no need to burden yourself,” Spock replied helping Leonard to his feet.

Leonard pulled away and started walking. “It’s no burden and even if it was, I’ll burden myself if I want to. Now you just go on in there and meditate. I’m gonna get ready for bed.”

Spock shook his head and cracked a small smile as Leonard passed him. “As you wish.”

The guest room was decorated much like the rest of the house -neutral themed. The walls were a light beige and there were soft grey linens on the bed. Although Leonard wore his light blue when working and dark colors when off duty, he seemed to prefer soft neutral colors in his environment. Spock deduced it was because Leonard needed a blank, quiet space to return to after his grueling shifts to reorient and ground himself.

He set his bag down on the bed, glad he had the foresight to bring it. Lately he and Jim found themselves called away at the most inconvenient times. They had taken to carrying their overnight bags everywhere, just in case. He pulled his heavy black robe out and quickly changed out of his uniform. He felt the tension melt from his shoulders and set up the rest of the things he needed for meditating.

His thoughts tonight were on Jim. Since the encounter with the Romulans, Jim had been pulling away from everyone emotionally. At first Spock deduced it was because Jim blamed himself and not the Romulans for their being stuck in this time and reality. Jim blamed himself for not being able to return the crew home safely and Jim blamed himself for the upset in their poly relationship.

They were all at fault for the change in their relationship. Leonard left without speaking with them. Jim was so engrossed in his role as captain that he neglected his role as boyfriend and lover. Spock also was engrossed in his role as first officer then submerged himself into the concerns of the Vulcan of this world. They were all workaholics and just assumed each other was functioning nominally.

His first mistake. 

Male or female, humans needed more comfort and reassurances. Especially in times of extreme stress. He failed to recognize Jim’s perceived failures as captain. In their time and reality, Jim was renowned for his exploits. Jim prided himself on his hard work and accomplishments. It was everything to him. And it was gone. He was still captain of a starship but one could argue Jim had been diminished in importance. 

What Spock could not understand was why Jim chose to runaway from those who could offer him comfort and support. Granted, finding out he was about to become a father had been shocking, it was not as if they had never talked about it. They had discussed the possibility several times of attempting to have offspring. It should have also drawn him closer and provided him an anchor if he felt adrift.

A loud thump and a curse abruptly brought him back to the present. Spock quickly rose to his feet and rushed into Leonard’s bedroom. He swallowed down the panic as he took in the scene.

Leonard was on his knees rubbing his forehead. He looked up as Spock entered the room and helped him up. He sat Leonard on the edge of the bed and inspected his bleeding head wound.

“What happened?”

“One of the twins pressed against my sciatic nerve and sent me tumblin' to the floor. I hit my head on the dresser on the way down.”

Spock rummaged around in Leonard’s med kit that he kept by his bed, and pulled out an antiseptic wipe and a dermal regenerator. Leonard tried to take both from him, but Spock half laid across him and pinned him with an arm across his chest. He worked quickly and swallowed the urge to laugh as Leonard verbally berated him while he struggled.

Among other things he’d never admit, Leonard wouldn’t admit he loved being pinned down by Spock. He tried to hide his excitement and embarrassment behind his caustic words which Spock seemed to have grown immune to. He gave the vulcan a shove even though it did nothing.

“Stop manhandlin’ the merchandise wouldja?!”

Spock kissed the now healed cut and pulled away. “Do you require anything before I retire to the guest room?”

“You could sleep in here if you want.”

“I assumed you would like to maintain sleeping quarters.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Is that what _you_ want?”

Leonard looked up into his eyes and nodded. “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Originally this was only supposed to be 20 chapters but my outline had to be modified for 8 more chapters.
> 
> If you guys find any errors, don't be afraid to point 'em out. In trying to meet word counts and meet deadlines I sometimes overlook errors.


	20. Broader Applications

At 0600 the next morning Leonard woke up to a cold bed. He didn't dwell too much on it as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes then went into the bathroom. What a night! He hadn't slept that well in months. After doing his business and freshening up, he dressed for the day and went in search of Spock. M'Benga would be by around 0900 to do his checkup and compare notes so he had enough time to eat and drop Spock at the hotel.

He walked around the lower parts of the house before he looked out the kitchen window and saw the missing Vulcan in the garden. Spock was clipping one of his plants and looked up when he heard the back door closed. When Leonard got closer, he saw Spock clipping the plant with the leaves he used for his morning tea. Spock had a small pouch on his hip that he used to put the leaves in and he looked up and smiled when he saw Leonard.

"Morning, Leonard," he greeted extending two fingers.

Leonard couldn't stop the smile that stretched across his face as he pressed their fingertips together. "Mornin', sweetheart. Whatcha doin'?"

"Collecting leaves for your morning tea. The rest I will dry and prepare you several servings so you do not have to come out here when it gets colder."

"That's sweet of you." Leonard kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"No thanks are required." He took Leonard's hand and lead him back to the house. They entered the kitchen and Leonard went about filling the kettle.

"When do you want me to take you to the hotel?"

"I thought I would stay and assist you. You have several of my old robes here that I could change into."

"Alright." He opened the refrigeration unit and pulled out some fruit and yogurt. "Breakfast?"

"That is acceptable."

Once they finished breakfast, Spock went to change and Leonard puttered around the kitchen getting things set out for lunch and dinner. He called and left Jim a message inviting him to dinner. When he was finished, he sat in the living room going over his notes on a padd.

McCoy had sent him all the research and his own personal notes on reproduction for this reality. Leonard was doing cross comparisons to the information from his reality. He was so lost in his reading, he didn't hear M'Benga come in the front door without knocking as he always did.

M'Benga had his eyes glued to a padd and wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. "Hey, Len, I brought the new equipment McCoy sent. Where do you -" his voice cut off as he ran into Spock's chest and went bouncing backward and nearly fell.

Spock tilted his head to the side with a quirk of his brow. He knew the other doctor was coming over but did not know he had an open invitation to walk in when he pleased.

M'Benga looked up at what he'd collided into and paled under his dark skin. Leonard failed to inform him that their former first officer and one of the children's fathers would be here. Running smack dab into a 6'1 Vulcan standing in the middle of the room would be embarrassing to anyone. His eyes darted everywhere looking for an exit or a hole to crawl into.

Leonard walked into the room and looked back and forth between the two. "Close your mouth and come in, Joseph. He's harmless."

Spock raised both eyebrows. He was _not_ harmless. Not when it came to Leonard and the children.

M'Benga half nodded. "Uh. Yeah. Okay. Sorry. Wasn't expecting to see you, commander Spock."

"Nor I you. I heard your car arrive and wanted to ensure you were not a threat to Leonard or the children."

Leonard looked back and forth between the two men. "Am I missin' somethin'?"

"No, I um. Leonard, I got the stuff you asked for last time." M'Benga dug into his satchel and pulled out an invoice. He took a cautious step forward and handed it to him. "Was pretty cheap too."

Leonard smiled. "Good man."

"In the future you may purchase any items required on my account," Spock offered.

M'Benga looked at Leonard who shrugged. "Don't lookit me. The man's made up his mind to be our very own Daddy Warbucks."

"Daddy Warbucks?" Spock asked with a slight frown.

"Rich billionaire that adopted a little red-headed orphan."

"Ah."

"He's early but we still have time for me to take you to the hotel if you're ready?"

"It can be postponed. I wanted to observe you and Dr. M'Benga. If it is not inconvenient."

McCoy and M'Benga exchanged glances. "Doesn't bother me. Guess we'll get started early." He waddled back into the kitchen and they descended the stairs to the lab. He headed over to the wall of monitors and uploaded the information from his padd to the computer. Once it was finished, he turned to see Spock and M'Benga putting away the new supplies and talking amongst themselves.

Leonard snorted and hoisted himself up on the biobed. His readings were projected on one of the larger monitors. Because Leonard was an old fashioned doctor that insisted on doing things hands on, M'Benga did a hands on examination as well as measurements with a tape measure. The data was inputted and compared to the computer's readouts.

Leonard had gained another five pounds. His blood pressure and sugar levels were still elevated but unchanged since his last check up. Due to hormones, his body temperature was slightly elevated but the temperature remained constant. M'Benga and Spock bullied (reasoned) Leonard into tri-weekly check-ups and calling Dr. Sanchez in to assist until he delivered and finding a pediatrician.

"I think we have all the data we need to consider this a viable reproduction option," M'Benga said giving his padd a solid tap.

Leonard turned to Spock and smiled. "We've looked at the current reproductive methods available according to McCoy's information - invitro, surrogacy, binary cloning and ours is the only method that is less invasive, less resource draining, more personalized, and will have a higher success rate."

Spock looked at the monitor with all the data then back at Leonard. "How so?"

Several graphs and charts showed up on the monitor. "Invitro, surrogacy, and binary cloning all require a great deal of invasive medical intervention. Some require multiple procedures, medicinal support, and constant monitoring. Invitro and surrogacy aren't always successful and with many interspecies couples, the fetus is lost due to incompatibility of the mother's body and the child's unique needs. Surrogacy and binary cloning are impersonal as the child is not nurtured inside one of the biological parents." He paused at the eyebrow raise from Spock.

Spock gave Leonard a look of confusion.

"For some non-telepathic parents they feel they have a more _emotional _and _spiritual _connection to their fetus growing inside and being nurtured by their own body," Leonard quickly explained.

He received a half nod in understanding and continued. "The lack of privacy over something that should be a family matter and constantly feeling like you're some project is a deterrent for many wannabe parents."

M'Benga picked up the thread of the conversation. "The falutero requires a twenty minute conversation and one abdominal injection with regularly spaced examinations. It is also more sustainable. Just one time implantation and the couple could have as many children as they pleased. The body and falutero will take care of the rest. Cost and time are negligible."

Spock looked over all the information again and rubbed his chin. "It sounds too good to be true."

Leonard went on the defense. He and his team had been working on this project for almost a year and he was proof it was successful. "Are you saying you don't think it could work for others?"

"On the contrary." Spock turned to face them. They were brilliant. Their experiment could help not only interspecies couples, but species on the verge of extinction. "I believe this could be the hope that many are looking for. The numbers for the Vulcan breeding program have met with disappointment. This may be another option for them to explore as well."

M'Benga held the padd to his chest. "We would hold off until we had more successes before we brought it up for wide-scale trial."

"How long would that take?"

"Depends how many volunteers we get. Probably two or three years."

"I see." A com went off before Spock could say anything further. He excused himself and went over by the refrigeration unit to answer it.

"What do you think?" M'Benga asked walking closer.

"We could shave some time off if we got enough of the right volunteers," Leonard replied pulling out a blow pop and sticking it in his mouth. He kept a bunch of them in his pocket for when his mouth got dry. 

"You mean mixed race couples?"

Leonard nodded. "We know it works on human-vulcan couples but other couples like our Andorian-Vulcan couple from the ship and any other such pairings would be better measures of viability of the falutero."

Spock approached them. "Excuse me, gentlemen. I realize it is short notice, would you be willing to discuss your research with a member of the repopulation committee from New Vulcan today?"

M'Benga shrugged. "I have a little time."

"Sure. Why not."

"We shall meet Sarek of New Vulcan for lunch at 1400 hours."

M'Benga's eyes bugged out of his head. "_Ambassador_ Sarek? That Sarek?"

"I know of no other Sarek on New Vulcan, doctor," Spock replied with mild irritation.

Leonard chuckled and grabbed his padd. "This outta be fun."


	21. Lunch with Sarek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunch with the ambassador is not what Leonard expects.

They were to meet Sarek and his aide at a high-end hotel that also served a conference hall an hour away. They parked and walked across the botannical garden between the parking lot and the hotel. At first Leonard wondered about all the people moving about then he saw a posting about a 1960’s sci-fi convention and a conference on cultural sensitivities across species. Different alien races mingled with the humans filtering through the lobby on their way to their destinations. M’Benga and Leonard looked at each other in surprise when several well dressed Orions approached them.

“It seems the Orions are members of the federation in this reality,” Spock mused.

“That’s preferable to the manipulative, cut throat pirates they are in _our _reality,” Leonard replied.

M’Benga locked eyes with a young Orion woman as she passed by him. She gave him a wink making his cheeks warm. “Wonder how they mask the pheromones.”

Spock put his hand at the small of Leonard’s back to move him along. “Gentlemen, let us proceed.”

The hormones coursing through him had softened his masculine features considerably and his longer brown hair gave him more of an androgynous look. Feeling self-conscious, Leonard was thankful he’d worn a dark robe to hide his belly. It was simple yet elegant enough to be worn to most functions. He only wish it had a hood. Spock lead them through the throng of bodies to a restaurant off the side of the main lobby.

Sarek and his aide were already seated but stood and greeted them politely. His dark eyes seemed to linger on Leonard a little longer than the others. Spock and M’Benga held up their hands in the ta’al while Leonard kept his hands politely tucked in the sleeves of his robe over his belly and gave a slight bow. Despite having great dexterity for a surgeon, he could never do the ta’al no matter how hard he tried.

“Dif-tor heh smusma,” Sarek greeted.

“Sochya eh dif,” Spock and M’Benga replied.

Sarek looked back over to Leonard who was looking off to the side trying to swallow down his awkwardness.

“This is Dr. Joseph M’Benga and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard McCoy, both of the Enterprise,” Spock introduced.

Sarek turned to Leonard. “Forgive me, Dr. McCoy, but it seems you differ from the Dr. McCoy of this reality in more than just age.”

What the hell was he trying to say? Offended, Leonard pulled a hand out of his robe and pointed a finger at the older vulcan. “Where do you -”

Spock gripped his hand and pulled him to his side, silencing him. Sarek’s eyebrows shot upward. “Perhaps we should be seated and order our drinks.”

M’Benga was more than happy to comply as he took a seat to Leonard's left and Spock sat on Leonard's right. The ambassador and his aide sat across from them. He hadn’t been this nervous since he first went to Vulcan to study. Ambassador Sarek, even in their reality, was something of a royal celebrity. Celebrity or no, he knew his boss’s temperment. If Leonard felt strongly about something he wasn’t afraid to let it be known.

He turned to his right to see Leonard furiously whispering back and forth with Spock. Although he couldn’t hear what they were saying, he was sure Sarek and his aide had no problem. Leonard’s face turned pink up to his hairline as Spock put a hand on his belly, hidden from Sarek's view. M’Benga whipped his head around to see Sarek also watching the pair with a strange look that he didn’t think he’d ever seen on a vulcan. Was that...fondness?

Leonard put his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm not looking at anyone. Stupid unfeeling vulcans! You don’t just tell a person that and think they’re not gonna get their bloomers in a knot. And damn that pointy-eared bastard of his for saying the right things to pacify him.

Spock appeared oblivious to everything as he quickly went over the menu selections and decided on his meal then asking Leonard what he wanted.

“I’m not hungry,” he grumbled.

Spock placed his order and ordered some fruit and a salad for Leonard using the touchpad at the table and waited. Sarek and M’Benga had already ordered. Spock reached under the table and put his hand on Leonard’s thigh and gave him a reassuring squeeze. Leonard rolled his eyes and put his hand over Spock’s and squeezed back.

Sarek’s lip twitched just the slightest. If M’Benga had blinked, he’d have missed Sarek’s version of a smile. McCoys weren’t the only thing different here.

“I apologise, Dr. McCoy. I meant no offense,” the older vulcan stated.

Anger gone, Leonard sighed and took his elbow off the table and remembered his manners. “It’s alright, ambassador. I guess I’m just sensitive.”

“It pleases me you could meet me on such short notice. _Your_ Spock has been assisting my Spock and I on the colony. I am sure you have heard the repopulation efforts on New Vulcan have not yielded us the numbers we were hoping. Spock still remains one of few human-Vulcan hybrids to survive infancy.”

He nodded and placed his napkin over his lap. “I heard something about that.”

“Spock has informed me that you and your colleagues were conducting a reproductive experiment that had favorable results.”

Leonard looked at Spock. Why did he let the cat out of the bag already? “We uh,” he coughed to clear his throat. “We have developed an implant that would create an artificial environment where the fetus could thrive regardless of the genetic make up of the parents.”

Their food arrived and Leonard looked down at the vulcan pickled salad he’d come to love-vash g’ralth, and fruit Spock had ordered for him. His heart fluttered at Spock’s thoughtfulness. He sniffed the air and glanced over at Spock’s food. Something about the herbs and spices wafting up from the steam made his mouth water.

“What’s that?” he asked leaning over.

“Ulan soup.”

“What’s it taste like?”

“It -” Spock paused and quirked a brow as Leonard leaned further into his space. “Would you like to sample it for yourself?”

There was a slight thump in his belly and Leonard’s smile widened. “I don’t want to put you out.”

M’Benga and Sarek watched with veiled amusement as Spock dipped his spoon in the thick soup and held it out to Leonard. “I insist.”

Leonard couldn’t stop the moan that escaped as flavor exploded on his tongue when his lips closed over the spoon. Every one of his taste buds seemed to come to life and his stomach lurched in happiness. All this time he’d been missing out on such a culinary wonder of the universe. It was so good, songs should have been written memorializing such a delightful treat of the palate. Remembering he was seated at the same table as Spock’s father-sorta, Leonard gave Spock a sheepish smile and moved back into his own space.

“Do you want the soup instead?” Spock asked.

Leonard shook his head and poked at his food in disinterest. “No, it’s okay. I’ll eat the salad you got me.”

“You will not be satisfied with the salad.”

“I don’t want to waste it.”

Spock quickly snatched the plate away and replaced it with his soup. Then he handed Leonard the spoon and the bread to go with it. M’Benga covered his mouth and laughed out loud while Sarek’s eyes lit up in amusement. The aide seemed baffled at the display but sat quietly with his brows drawn down in a frown.

“It pleases me to see Leonard and his offspring are so loved.”

M’Benga dropped his fork as Leonard began choking. Sarek looked to Spock for an explanation.

Spock rubbed Leonard’s back and handed him a glass of water. “Leonard’s pregnancy is a secret. As you are aware, it is not normal for human males to be impregnated.”

Sarek gave a half nod. “Surely you are aware Vulcans are telepathic.”

“I forget sometimes,” Leonard mumbled as he recovered from his choking fit. He only forgot because Spock, even though he was a strong telepath, seldom used his telepathy. He preferred to keep himself shielded and avoided contact with others.

“I see. So am I correct in my assumption that you tried this implant on yourself?” Sarek asked sipping his tea.

Leonard swallowed a spoonful of soup and nodded. “Each of us took a turn to see if it would take - er that our bodies wouldn’t reject it. Sanchez and Chapel’s failed within days. We tweaked some things and tried again. M’Benga's lasted a week. The one implanted in me not only kept but I ended up conceiving.”

“I would be interested in learning more about your experiment. Would you be amenable to sending me any information you feel comfortable with sharing?”

M’Benga and Leonard looked at each other. They didn’t want too many people getting their hands on their research. It was still untested for the most part and they had yet to tell their own crew about it or the pregnancy. Sarek seemed to read their thoughts on the matter.

“I will be the only one to see it until you say otherwise. You have my oath.”

Leonard glanced over to Spock.

“It is your decision, k’diwa.”

Leonard leveled his blues on the ambassador. “This research must stay confidential for the time being. We don’t want to get a lot of hopes up until we’ve had several more successes.”

Sarek nodded. “What would you need to achieve these ‘successes’?”

“Volunteers. Same sex couplings or interspecies couplings.”

“Any age restrictions?”

M’Benga shook his head. “No. They just need to be healthy and of child-bearing age for their species.”

“Very well. Once I have received the information I shall attempt to acquire volunteers for you.”

Toothy grins took over Leonard and M’Benga’s faces.

“Thank you. That means a lot to us,” Leonard beamed. The prospect of expanding the research they’d started and being able to be of use on a grand scale, overjoyed him. It gave him a mission, a purpose utilizing his skills. One he could do without overtaxing his body.

Sarek nodded. “If this is successful, then I shall be thanking you for bringing hope to the vulcan people.”

Their conversation turned to less serious matters as they finished their meal. Sarek’s aide escorted him to a lecture in one of the conference rooms at the other end of the hotel. Before he left, he settled their bill calling it a gift.

Leonard told Spock and M’Benga to go ahead while he went to the back of the restaurant to use the bathroom. The twins were having a field day with his poor bladder. There were fewer tables set up as most of the lunch crowd had gone, so no one but a few staff saw him wobble-running to the bathroom. He finished his business and washed and dried his hands before leaving. As he rounded the corner separating the bathroom from the restaurant, a waiter crashed into him, knocking Leonard to the ground and dumping a pitcher of steaming, hot liquid on him.

Leonard groaned as the different pain sensations reached his brain. There was burning pain all over where hot liquid scalded his neck and seeped through his robe. Pain raced up his hip and back where he'd fallen on the floor and landed on his side. There was also pain in his side where he'd hit the table. He got to his knees and curled forward as he pressed a hand to his lower back.

“Watch where you’re going, human trash!” the waiter snapped.

Stunned, Leonard slowly struggled to his feet as the waiter stormed off. A sharp pain ripped through his abdomen and he grit his teeth. He clutched the back of a chair and braced himself up with one hand while the other cradled his stomach. His breath hitched in his chest as another pain followed the first. He couldn’t be having contractions. Not now.

He rubbed his stomach. “No, no, no. Not now. Calm down. It’s okay, little darlin’s,” he whispered. His eyes closed as he hunched over.

There were some cries of surprise and the sound of boots pounding on the floor reached his ears. Someone was talking to him. Someone else was shouting something. It was all white noise against the stabbing pain in his stomach. The twins were lashing out and moving around. Leonard's skin felt like it was on fire. 

Cool fingers lifted his chin until he was eye level with Spock and then those cool fingers slotted over to the psi points on his face. “Nahp, hif-bi tu throks.”

“I don’t speak Vulcan,” Leonard thought as the restaurant faded from view and he found himself standing in a desert with swirling red sand. The sky was shades of crimson fading into the softest peach. A soft breeze ruffled his robes and cooled his flesh. Spock stood before him with his hands at his sides, the total picture of calm.

“Leonard, you need to calm yourself.”

Pain radiated through his stomach and he looked at Spock with pleading eyes. “It really hurts. Something’s wrong. I don’t want to lose them. I can’t lose them.” Another sharp pain ripped through him and he clutched his stomach. “Please. Haven’t I lost enough?”

“We need to get you back to examine you. But you need to focus and temper your emotions. The twins feed off your panic.” Spock reached out and put a hand on his stomach. “Breathe with me. I will take your pain.”

Leonard kept his eyes on Spock’s as he matched him breath for breath. The pain dialed down to a small twinge. The movement also stopped as if the twins had gone to sleep. He put his hand over Spock’s, and nodded.

The sound of the tricorder whirling and muffled voices reached his ears as Spock broke the meld. Spock helped him to his feet and he straightened out his robe. The Denobulan restaurant manager was quietly speaking with a security person and casting worried looks Leonard’s way.

“Oh thank the stars you are alright!” she cried as she shoved the security officer to the side and ran up to Leonard, engulfing him in a tight hug.

Startled, Leonard clenched his fists at his sides unsure of what to do.

She pulled back and held him at arm’s length. “Please accept my deepest apologies. We fired him right before he ran into you for being rude to other customers.” She began fussing over him. “Are you hurt? Is your robe damaged? We’ll pay for any damages or injuries. Just send us the details.”

M’Benga smiled and quickly took both her hands in his and pulled her away from Leonard. “Thankyou, ma’am, but I need to get him some medical attention.” He wrapped an arm around his boss supporting hi.

“We put out an alert for him,” the security officer said to Spock. “He won’t get far.”

“Please keep me informed.” Spock took out his communicator. “Enterprise, this is Spock.”

_“Scotty ‘ere. Good ta ‘ear your voice, commander.”_

“Lock onto my signal. Three to beam to the following coordinates…”

Leonard looked down as Spock’s hand slipped into his. Before he could say anything, the familiar tingling took over his molecules and a swirl of light engulfed them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vulcan vocabulary  
Dif-tor heh smusma - The Vulcan greeting. Live long and prosper  
Sochya eh dif- Response to the Vulcan greeting. Peace and long life  
k’diwa - beloved  
Nahp, hif-bi tu throks - What is said before the mind meld. Your thoughts, give them to me. (although, my mind to your mind is a lot nicer. LOL!)
> 
> Those interested in the NaNoWriMo update - the draft I'm still working on is already at 46,000 words. I'll more than make the 50,000 word requirement. Finishing by Nov 30 that's the REAL challenge.


	22. Redefining Terms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard and Spock find out who they are to some people.

Contrary to what anyone knew, Montgomery Scott and Leonard McCoy had been friends for more than a few decades having met when they were aged nine and five in Scotland. Their lives took different paths until they were reunited again as Starfleet officers on Starbase 10. It was then, after engaging in countless rounds of Denobian slime devils and a fight with the locals and a Klingon named Krong, that they became legendary drinking buddies.

That’s why it not only threw him for a loop but shook something inside of Scotty to find out that his friend had been having a hard time of things. He, too, used his expertise in his field to try to locate the doctor in his spare time. He tried to track the captain and Mr. Spock’s signatures as they beamed all over but could not find any signatures similar to Leonard’s. Near as he could figure, if they knew where the doctor was they were turning off their coms, leaving them behind, or traveling by land. Or a combination of all three. He couldn’t wait for the new scanners to get installed. They’d be more powerful and have more scanning options.

When he got the call from Mr. Spock, he was overjoyed. In scanning for Spock’s biosignatures, he picked up Dr. M’Benga’s and Dr. McCoy’s. He frowned when he looked closer and realized Dr. McCoy had more mass than the last time they saw each other. He beamed them to the coordinates Spock gave, a residence on a ranch in Georgia. Saying he was taking time off to visit family in Aberdeen, Scotty packed a bag and beamed himself to a beaming station nearby. Then he rented a car and headed off to the address.

The captain and Spock told the crew Leonard was studying and couldn’t be disturbed. Understanding how the doctor liked to hyper focus and enjoyed his privacy, the crew had held back. But after Spock’s emergency beam out, Scotty had to see for himself. 

When he arrived at the road leading up to Leonard’s ranch, Scotty nodded to himself in appreciation. A white fence stretched the front end of the property by the road. A lavender field served as a border on one side with low hedges on the other. A lush green lawn lead up to the house. There was a wrap around porch complete with porch swing and rocking chairs. Scotty noticed the security system as he bounded up the stairs and signaled his arrival.

Leonard heard the door and walked out of the kitchen drying his hands on a towel. Spock had left not too long after his check up with M’Benga the day before only after being reassured by M’Benga that Leonard would be alright after he’d administered indomethecin to stop the contractions. He was meeting younger Spock and Sarek in San Francisco but said he’d return the next evening. So Leonard thought nothing of it as he opened the door without checking the security.

“Tha’s not exactly smart ta open tha door without checkin’ first now is it, Doctor McCoy?”

Leonard couldn’t believe his eyes. After gaping at his long time friend and drinking buddy, they embraced each other in tight hugs, slapping each other on the back. Scotty stood back and took a good look at him, unbelieving what he was seeing.

Leonard pulled him inside. “Let me pour ya a drink then I’ll tell ya a story.”

Half a bottle of Saurian brandy later and Leonard had told his story and answered all of Scotty’s questions. The Scot listened without interruption, his dark bushy eyebrows rising or furrowing as the story dictated. He congratulated Leonard on both the pregnancy and the potential collaboration with the vulcans. He just had one bone to pick with the southern doctor.

“I cannae believe ya didn’ tell us. None o’ us.” He put his hand over his heart. "It gets ya here, ya know."

Leonard twirled his juice around. “I didn’t know what to say and I was just feelin’ adrift.”

“Ya mightn’t always be on tha bridge with us but ya _are_ one of us. And we’re family, dammit! Me, you, tha cap’n, Mr. Spock, Sulu, Uhura, and Chekhov. Ya got tha’?”

“Yessir.”

Scotty jabbed him in the chest. “And don’ ye be forgettin’.”

McCoy chuckled and raised his juice glass. “I hear and obey.”

Scotty gulped his drink down and slammed the glass on the table. “Damn right.”

They lapsed into silence a moment, each drinking their drink and lost in their thoughts. Scotty looked at his friend. Leonard looked the happiest he’d ever seen him, all things considering. Pregnancy had softened his rough edges just a tad. He had no doubt the surly ol’ gent was still lurking under the skin.

“So how are tha wee babes?”

Leonard rubbed his stomach and smiled. “We had a bit of a scare the other day. Some disgruntled employee ran into me and dumped some hot drink all over me.”

Scotty’s bushy eyebrows rose up to his hairline. His face darkened and he half rose from his seat. “What!?”

Leonard clamped down on his forearm attempting to keep him in his seat. “Calm down, wouldja? We don’t need a repeat of Starbase 10.”

Scotty smiled and tipped his glass. “Ah. Twas a good time.”

“Amen. Spock took care of everything. The guy’s apparently part of some xenophobic group. He saw us with Ambassador Sarek and thought he’d take a shot at me.”

“Seems some things ne’er change no matter tha reality.”

“Ain’t that the truth. Since he attacked me after my lunch with Sarek, they’re treatin’ it as a hate crime.”

Scotty banged his fist on the table, rattling the brandy and glasses. “Good! That’ll teach tha lot o’ ‘em. Ya don’t mess wit family. We’ll tear ya ta shreds.”

Leonard chuckled at his friend’s antics. “That aside, I got two healthy little male hobgoblins bakin’ in my oven and we’re gonna be runnin’ trials to see if we can’t get this perfected to help out New Vulcan as well as others tryin’ to have families.”

“I’m glad ta see ya doin’ somethin’ tha' ya love. I was worried when McCoy lit inta us. We had no idea, lad.” He looked apologetically at Leonard. “I woulda known if I hadn’a been runnin’ ‘roun with my head cut off tryin’ ta look after tha Enterprise.”

“It’s all right. Everyone was doin' their jobs.”

“It’s jus...I know how it feels. Tha Enterprise may just be a ship ta most, but ta me it’s my _home_. It’s tha only place I feel like I’ve got purpose. Just like yer sick bay is ta you.”

Leonard fought back the stinging in his eyes. “It worked out in the end.”

“Yeah.”

The doorbell chimed and they both looked at each other.

Scotty shrugged his shoulders and finished his drink. “Don’t look at me. It’s _your_ house.”

Leonard chuckled and got to his feet. He wobbled to the door with Scotty following behind. Who on earth could it be? Jim, Spock, and M’Benga would just walk in. Nobody visited so he was confused. He stood in front of the door without opening it after Scotty’s lecture from ealier.

“Computer, show me the front door camera,” he commanded. A 30” rectangle appeared on the door. His eyes widened as four familiar faces looked up at the camera with broad smiles. He looked over his shoulder at Scotty who looked away sheepishly.

"It's not my fault."

*******

After beaming back to Leonard's home, Spock carried him down to the makeshift med bay/lab in the basement. M’Benga rushed about scanning Leonard and injecting him with a drug known to stop contractions. He checked to be sure Leonard wasn’t showing any other signs of labor then treated the burns on his skin.

The perpetrator was apprehended rather quickly. By the time Spock stepped away to com Jim and inform Sarek, he was already in custody. There had also been an incident at the conference being held in the same hotel and Sarek requested both Spocks to meet him in San Francisco to discuss the incident with Starfleet. Spock had been reluctant to leave but after reassurances from M’Benga and a tongue lashing from Leonard, he acquiesced.

He met younger Spock when he materialized in the transporter booth near a park across the street from the vulcan embassy. A human female with strawberry-blonde hair was taking her leave of him. Spock’s brow rose as he took in his counterpart’s agitated stance.

“Are you well?”

Younger Spock unclenched his fists. “I am...fine.”

Spock's time with humans taught him one thing; fine was not an acceptable answer for one's state of being. Fine was a 'cop out'. “Was that someone you know?”

“She is Perrin. My father’s second wife.” He turned to enter the enviornmentally controlled park.

Spock nodded and followed. “Ah.” They walked leisurely with their hands behind their backs. Children were laughing and playing on a playset near where they walked. Spock felt his heart flutter as he watched a set of twins running hand in hand. He felt excited for the day when he could hold his own.

“I do not see why she needs to be everywhere he is when _I _am,” younger Spock said cutting into his thoughts. "It is as if she is trying to create situations where we are in each other's presence."

Spock frowned. “You are angry with your father?”

"Anger is a human emotion."

"As Dr. McCoy is fond of reminding me, I am half and therefore I do have emotions."

Younger Spock nodded. “Yes. Yes, I am angry with my father.”

“Because he married another human?”

Younger Spock paused. “Yes.”

“You would have preferred if he had taken a vulcan woman instead.” Spock stopped walking and turned to face his counterpart. He could see the emotions warring in the younger’s eyes.

“I feel he betrayed my mother’s memory by doing so.”

Spock frowned slightly. “It is my understanding he was on Terra when his time suddenly came upon him.”

“That is correct.”

“Would you have rathered he perished than try to temper the fires that are pon farr?”

Young Spock exhaled through his nose. “I can see the logic of it all. I just am finding it difficult to accept it.”

Spock smirked at him. “Well, as someone close to me once said you’ll just have to ‘mind your own damn business.’”

Young Spock coughed into his hand to hide his laugh. “Yes, well...that is logical.”

They continued their walk. Spock noticed several flowers growing that he thought might look good back at the house. He made a note to bring it up with Leonard when he returned. Young Spock stood with his hands behind his back as Spock squatted down near a low flowering bush.

“Do you mind if I ask you something personal?” he asked.

Spock stood. “By all means.”

“I confess to being curious how your relationship came about. Jim and I did not start off well. In fact, I choked him in front of the crew on the Enterprise.”

Spock sighed. He, too, had assaulted Jim at one point in time. In all fairness, he was under the effect of spores. “Jim and Leonard, unfortunately, are taxing on even the most disciplined of minds. They make us feel strongly like the Vulcans of old.”

“Agreed. However, I do not have that triad relationship you have with your Jim and Leonard. Jim and I are bonded and intimate on all levels while Leonard stays on the periphery. Jim and Leonard were close at one time and I had thought Leonard and I would be closer after our time on Altamid, but Leonard seemed to pull away further.”

“Perhaps something occurred that made him do so,” Spock offered.

Young Spock raised his brows in thought. They exited the other end of the park and walked toward the vulcan embassy. The air was cool and damp outside compared to the temperature inside the park. Spock gave the younger’s question some thought before he answered it once they were inside.

“I chose Leonard because our values, morals, and views on life are strongly aligned despite Leonard’s over-emotionalism at times. He cares deeply for those around him. He has a brilliant scientific mind and uncanny ability to find a solution where there is none. When it comes to medicine and life or death, he does not believe in no win situations. Much like Jim. "

“And what of your attraction to Jim?”

“Leonard and Jim are close in a way that Jim and I are not. We share Leonard. My attraction to Jim is more as a brother. He is an excellent tactician with the ability to see multiple scenarios at once and execute the best one. He is emotionally tempered and diplomatic with a deep sense of commitment and responsibility to those in his care. We are comfortable with one another. At times he is the referee between Leonard and I. However, because of commitment issues he is reluctant of any kind of bond to Leonard or myself.”

“Will you and Leonard bond?”

“I am unsure. Leonard has been assaulted by telepathic species in the past. Even an alternate incarnation of myself.”

Spock the younger looked at him in surprise.

“We have repaired the damage but he is...hesitant.”

“It is understandable.” They stood quietly as they waited for an elevator. He wanted to ask more questions but they were joined by two vulcans and an andorian. They rode in silence to the floor housing Sarek’s office.

They slowed their steps so they could finish their conversation before reaching the ambassador’s office. “Will being in a relationship without a bond be sufficient for you?”

Spock shrugged his shoulders slightly. “For now. I do not require much. As long as Jim and Leonard are content, then all is well with me.”

They entered Sarek’s antechamber and the aide showed them inside. After giving the ta’al, they sat in seats across from the ambassador’s desk.

“It pleases me you both could make it.” Sarek pulled up a small screen and tapped the padd in front of him. The image of Leonard's attacker showed up on the screen. He was standing in the center of a group of people dressed in black. “The man captured in Leonard’s attack is part of a radical xenophobic group that wants to do away with the federation and return to the time before first contact.”

Spock leaned to one side and crossed his arms over his chest. “Their efforts are for naught. It will take more than attacking one terran to achieve those goals.”

“Agreed." Sarek closed the image and folded his hands on top of the desk. "Starfleet has chosen to drop the matter for now.”

Younger Spock leaned forward with a slight frown. “But Leonard is a member of Starfleet.”

Sarek nodded then looked at Spock. “There are those that would argue he is not of our reality therefore not our problem.”

Spock’s eyes narrowed.

“However, a member of our house has been attacked. We will do everything to protect our own.”

Young Spock spoke when Spock seemed frozen in shock. “You are admitting Spock, his bondmates, and the children into the family?”

Sarek nodded. “Indeed. They will be registered as vulcan citizens and entered in the family registry. As such, they will be provided all the privileges and protections afforded anyone in the family.”

Spock gave a slight bow. “We are honored." He turned to look at his counterpart. "I do not wish to cause you trouble.” 

Young Spock tilted his head slightly. "I already consider you skan and your crew k'war'ma'khon like my own."

Sarek gave a slight upturn of his lips. “What of the children? Being part Vulcan, will they be raised on New Vulcan with their people?"

Spock crossed his arms back over his chest. “Leonard is aware of the difficulties I faced as a half human raised on Vulcan. He has emphatically stated he will not concede to such a thing.”

“But surely for their education and development the colony would be a better choice than Terra.”

“The children will be mostly human with some Vulcan features. Younger Spock and I seemed to have shared the same events in childhood. In my reality, I too was bullied physically, verbally, and emotionally as a child for being half human. My mother disgraced. My family name smeared. My father called a traitor.”

A look of sadness crossed Sarek’s eyes and he looked over to his son. Younger Spock gave him a slight nod.

“How then do you think my children, who will be 83.33% human, will fare?”

Sarek was quiet as he considered this.

“As adults we can reason away such things as ‘children being children’ but to children words hurt. Hurt children cry. Leonard would cause an intergalactic incident if anyone hurt his children.”

Sarek’s eyebrows raised up to his hairline. He looked back and forth between the two Spocks. “Surely you jest.”

Oh how Spock wished he were. Had he not seen Leonard in protective mode he would not have believed it himself. And that was over an injured crewman. Leonard would be exponentially worse over his own offspring. “You do not know Leonard like I do.”

Younger Spock nodded. He had seen his own McCoy in action when he was protecting his crew. “It seems no matter what, McCoys are fiercely protective of those they consider family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vulcan Terms  
Skan - family (biologically related)  
k'war'ma'khon - family ( not biologically related)


	23. Pride is an Emotion

When Spock returned, he noticed two extra vehicles in the driveway. His eyes widened minutely as he entered and was met with a full house. Leonard was sitting in the living room with his feet on the couch. A brown and white tribble sat atop his head and he had his hands on his stomach laughing at Chekhov and Mr. Sulu. Uhura was singing and Scotty had his bagpipes out. M'Benga and Chapel clapped and laughed seated on the loveseat. There were trays of food, drink, and half-eaten plates. They were apparently having a party of some kind.

"Mr. Spock! Good of you to join us!" Sulu exclaimed. Everyone turned and greeted their first officer.

Spock felt a warming in his side. "Good evening. While I am pleased to see all of you, may I ask what is the occassion?"

"It iz family reunion!" Chekhov said gleefully, throwing his arms wide open.

"How naughty of you and the captain not to let us know we had nephews coming," Uhura chastised.

"Leonard wanted to keep it a secret. We chose to honor his request."

Scotty shot Leonard a look. "Aye. We've already picked 'im clean for that."

Spock noticed the flush to Leonard's cheeks as he rubbed his belly. Spock walked over to the sofa and sat down next to his pregnant partner. He pulled Leonard to lean against him and put a hand on his stomach.

"Are you alright?"

Leonard nodded. "I am. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed being around these crazy asses."

"You love us," Sulu winked.

"Damn right I do. But what I'd love more is more music and dancin' and less talkin' smack."

Scotty and Uhura shared a glance then he began blowing on his bagpipes. Uhura began to sing and Chekhov started clapping.

"I know dis song. It vas written by a Russian."

Sulu shook his head and began to dance while Leonard and M'Benga rolled their eyes. Chapel shook her head and smiled fondly.

Spock kissed the top of Leonard's head. Despite the smile on Leonard's face, Spock could feel the sadness lurking beneath the surface. "What's wrong, ashayam?" he whispered in Leonard's ear.

Leonard laid his head back against Spock's chest and put his hand over Spock's on his stomach. "I just wish Jim were here too."

Spock kissed the top of his head and held him a little tighter. He, too, wished Jim were here. Even though most of the physical intimacy was between Leonard and Jim, or Spock and Leonard, he missed Jim's presence. They had an intimacy that wasn't sexual but just as strong. Leonard was the Yin to Spock's Yang and Jim was the spot of light and dark in the two. There were times when Spock did not know the proper response to some of Leonard's emotional bursts and Jim would handle the situation or explain it and temper Leonard's emotions enough that he could understand Spock.

"We will message him later and update him on the news I received from the ambassador today."

Chekhov started dancing with Sulu as the tempo of the playing increased. Christine and M'Benga were laughing merrily along.

"Was it good news?" Leonard asked sipping his drink. He could use some good news.

"It was indeed."

Everyone left before 1900, M'Benga kicking them all out stating Leonard needed rest. Then he, Uhura, and Christine tidied up and bid the happy duo goodnight before leaving themselves. Leonard took his socks off and propped his swollen feet up. Spock rearranged Leonard so that Spock's back was against the arm of the sofa and Leonard was in his lap with his back to Spock's chest. He used Leonard's belly as a tray, making sure they were both visible in the window, as he dialed Jim on the portable comm unit.

"It's only been a few days but I miss him something terrible." Leonard rubbed Spock's thigh absently. "You think he'll come back to us?"

"It is possible." Spock was not confident in his answer. Only once had he seen Jim lose confidence in himself. Jim always took mission failures and crewman deaths personally. Even though no one had died, the crew was lost without a way back home.

Spock could only imagine what Jim must be feeling. Not that their situation was Jim's fault. _Their Starfleet_ sent them out to investigate the Romulan's new weapon. The _Romulans_ fired that weapon on them. An investigation by the admiralty and the scientists of this reality had analyzed the mission and data and had told them what everyone but Jim had known and come to accept. There was no way of avoiding what happened to them short of disobeying a direct order. Jim had done everything right.

Leonard tensed as the call connected and Jim's face lit up the screen. He looked pale and haggard. He had circles under his eyes and scruff on his face from not shaving. His normal neatly style dirty blond hair was product free and needed smoothing down.

"Hiya, Bones. Spock," Jim smiled.

Leonard grinned from ear to ear and waved.

"I am pleased I could reach you," Spock replied. He'd tried to reach his captain since he ran out. He only got the messaging system.

Jim at least looked repentant. "I hopped a brief mission. Sorry I didn't contact you. I did get your messages, though."

Spock raised a brow. "I see."

"Glad you weren't seriously hurt, Bones. How are the children?"

Leonard rubbed his stomach. "We had that slight scare but M'Benga was able to stop the contractions and fix the damaged tissue. He said I should be fine."

"Don't do too much. Call on your friends if you need help." Jim wagged a finger at him.

"Yeah, yeah." Leonard waved his comment aside. Jim needed to follow his own advice sometimes. Hell, they all did. 

Spock put his hand over Leonard's. "I have some news to share with both of you."

Jim leaned forward on the desk. "Oh?"

"It will benefit both Leonard and reproductive medicine."

Leonard tilted his head to frown over his shoulder. "Really?"

"Ambassador Sarek has acquired a lab space and access to equipment for Leonard to re-create his experiment with the implant."

Jim's smile widened. "Congratulations, Bones!"

With a great deal of effort and some grunting, Leonard pulled himself into a sitting position using the back of the couch and turned to look at Spock. His eyes were wide with shock. "Really? Like seriously?"

Spock gave a half nod. "Indeed. Oh, I forgot to mention one more thing."

Leonard looked at the screen and he and Kirk shared a look. What was the vulcan playing at? With that large computer brain of his, Spock _never_ forget things.

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, Mr. Spock," Jim teased as the silence stretched on.

Spock kissed the side of Leonard's face and smiled. "He found twenty couples to volunteer."

Their call with Jim lasted another half an hour before Leonard began to get sleepy. Jim bid them goodnight and Spock helped Leonard upstairs to get ready for bed. Spock went into the guest room to meditate while Leonard took his shower.

As he was drying off, Leonard caught sight of himself in the mirror. Purple lines raced up his stomach and hips. There were even a few on his buttocks and chest. His once firm pecs were buried under the enlarged breast tissue that would nurse the children. By his reckoning, he would soon need a support bra for his lemon sized breasts. Always at the low end for his height at 158 lbs (71.6 kilos), he was surprised at how quickly he'd put on 87lbs. M'Benga wasn't kidding about that ballooning bit.

Leonard traced the lines over his taut belly with his fingers. Earlier they'd been itching something fierce and he about clawed his skin off scratching before Uhura gave him a cream from her bag. She said it would help and that he needed to apply it twice a day. He sighed and looked at his face.

The hormones had stopped most of the hair growth on his face, legs, chest, and arms. The hair on his head was growing so fast he thought he'd end up looking like Rapunzel before he delivered. On the upside, he'd never had such smooth radiant skin before.

"Leonard?"

"Hmmm?" He looked up as long pale fingers pulled his hair back from his face and neck and lips pressed to his exposed flesh. He shivered as Spock's breath ghosted over his skin. "Done meditatin'?"

"I am. Are you finished with your cleaning?"

Leonard laid his head back against Spock's shoulder as his hands stroked up and down Leonard's arms. "Mmmhmm."

"You were always aesthetically pleasing." His hands traveled down Leonard's sides and stroked over his belly. "I find myself even more attracted to you like this."

Leonard's eyes crinkled in amusement. "Well I'll be! Spock, you have a pregnancy kink." He gasped as Spock rubbed his crotch against Leonard's backside.

"Maybe the extra blood flow and hormones have enhanced your natural good looks." One hand trailed up Leonard's belly, slowly creeping to his chest while the other crept slowly downward. Leonard pulled his bottom lip between his teeth as Spock cupped his right breast. His tongue traced the outline of Leonard's ear and he spoke in whispers heating Leonard's skin.

His other hand trailed upward cupping Leonard's other breast and gave both a squeeze making Leonard moan. "Or maybe it is what you would call being proud."

He lightly pinched and pulled on Leonard's nipples. Leonard closed his eyes and moaned as Spock teased his sensitive nipples until they were stiff. "_Proud_ of your virility." Those cool fingers slid over his breasts, over his swollen belly and rested on his hips. "_Proud_ that I was able to put those lives inside you." He ground against Leonard again.

Leonard could feel himself grow hard and wet at the vulcan's touch and those words whispered on his flesh. This was new. Outside of pon farr, Spock had never been this enraptured with his body. And boy howdy did he like it!

"_Proud_ that you bear my seed for everyone in the galaxy to see." His hands traveled back over Leonard's stomach as he caught those blues in the mirror. Leonard trembled at the unmasked passion he saw burning in Spock's eyes.

"_Proud_ that you and they belong to me."

Leonard's dick jumped at the thought and his body tingled wanting to be touched more. "Pride is a _human_ emotion."

Spock grabbed a handful of Leonard's wavy hair and yanked his head back. He sniffed along that delicious smelling neck before whispering against his lips, "As you are so fond of reminding me, I _am_ half human."

Leonard barely got a breath in before Spock stole it in a searing kiss that had his toes curling. Nimble fingers trailed down further, curled around and gave his rock hard cock a few hard pumps before his hand slipped further down and played with his newly acquired vagina. Spock nudged Leonard's legs wider apart as his fingers slowly slid in and out of the moist heat. Leonard pulled away from their kiss with a loud moan, rocking back into those fingers trying to get them deeper.

"Indeed everything about you is wonderful, k'diwa. Since finding out you were bearing my children, I have found myself unable to control my carnal thoughts." He withdrew his fingers. Making sure Leonard was watching, he brought his fingers to his lips and licked them clean of Leonard's juices. Leonard's taste was sweet with the tiniest tinge of iron. Spock became fully erect as Leonard groaned. He took his cleaned fingers and held them out to Leonard who was only too eager to suck on them. Spock's eyes fluttered shut and he quickly undid his constricting pants.

"I want to be inside you. Feel you around me. Hear your voice as I claim you. Hear you scream my name."

Leonard turned in his arms to face him, draping his arms over Spock's neck. "Do it. Please. I want it." He kissed him softly.

Spock brushed the hair off Leonard's forehead. "I do not want to hurt you."

"You won't. M'Benga said as long as I didn't do anything crazy I could." He cried out in surprise as Spock lifted him, wrapping his legs around his slender waist, and walked them back into the bedroom. "My, what big muscles you have," he giggled, lightly nipping the tip of Spock's ear.

Spock snorted and gently lay him on his back on the bed. He stood between Leonard's legs rubbing his hands all over Leonard's chest and belly. Desiring to be inside his beloved, he yanked his shirt over his head then took off his pants and boxer briefs. Leonard watched, licking his lips, as Spock's engorged cock sprang into his view.

"Someone's happy to see me."

Spock fingered him once more with his left hand while giving himself a few strokes. "Would you like to see just how 'happy' I am to see you?"

"Bring it." His hands fisted the blanket and his back arched off the bed as he threw his head back. Spock fully sheathed himself and began moving before Leonard could take a breath. Goddamn if he didn't like how unrestrained Spock had become. His thrusts were slow but deep, hitting his spot. Leonard could only cry out with broken words, deep moans, and harsh pants. Spock's hands were all over his body, mapping him, playing him, bringing him to new heights of ecstasy.

Leonard was the portrait of beauty beneath him. His lover's skin was flushed and glistened with sweat. Small breasts jiggling as their hips met. His eyes were closed in the throes of ecstasy. The only thing that would have made this better for Spock would be to meld with Leonard. But for Leonard, he would do without. 

The fingers on one hand lightly traced his beloved's jawline. He loved this man with every fiber of his being. How could he have been so blind? He would have missed out on all this. Leonard opened his eyes and looked deeply into his own.

"Bond with me," he whispered.

Spock's heart did not stutter in his chest as he slowed his thrust. "Are you sure? Once we bond, it cannot be broken."

Leonard's fingers traced his jawline and over his lips. "I don't want it to be."

Spock stopped moving altogether and kissed Leonard's warm palm. "It is stronger than the t'hylara bond we share with Jim. Stronger than marriage. There will be no secrets between us. Do you want that?"

Leonard grinned from ear to ear. "I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vulcan Terms  
t'hylara - blood brother/soulmate/friend/lover - 2-5 persons   
t'h'yla - blood brother/soulmate/friend/lover -1 person


	24. Captain to Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim gets a talking to.

Jim sat in the back corner of the dive bar he'd begun frequenting. It was a small place. Dark, just the right side of rowdy and off the beaten track. Drinks were ordered on a padd on the table and a robo waiter delivered in thirty seconds or less. Best thing was that no one knew who he was. He was simply Jim. Not Captain James T. Kirk - youngest captain of Starfleet who got his entire crew and lovers stranded in another time and reality with no chance to get home. He gulped down his drink and let his mind drift.

To make it up to them, he and Spock worked tirelessly to minimize the impacts on the crew. He spent more time in meetings with scientists, the admiralty, and various federation diplomats to make sure his crew got the best deal he could get them. He stepped on a few toes in the process but he didn't care. In addition to retraining himself, he also made sure to read up on any research related to time travel, Einstein-Rosen bridges, and alternate realities he could get his hands on for discussion with Spock at a later date. He wasn't going to stop trying to get them back home. Bones would take him off duty and confine him to quarters or hypospray him full of sedatives if he knew how little sleep Jim had been getting.

Bones.

Jim paused with the glass to his lips. Bones was pregnant with twins that were genetically part his. They'd talked about children a few times in the four years they'd been together but he'd mainly agreed just to pacify Bones. He never thought it would actually happen. What bad timing.

And he'd walked out on him.

Technically, he was in a 'v' relationship with Bones and Spock but had stepped outside of the relationship whenever diplomatic or hostage situations deemed it necessary. He wasn't above sleeping with the enemy to get what he wanted. And everyone and their grandmother in the galaxy knew it. What a disgrace to his partners. He had no business being in a committed relationship, let alone a father. When he felt the bond between Bones and Spock change from t'h'yla to kal'i'farr, he was genuinely happy. Between Spock and Ambassador Sarek, Leonard and the children would have all the protection and support they would ever need.

He was on his fifth beer and sixth shot when he heard a familiar voice.

"Captain, should you be sitting here drowning in whiskey?"

Jim looked up at a now familiar pair of blue eyes. Different from Bone's baby blues but just as bright. He smiled crookedly. "Should I be somewhere else?"

"Shouldn't you be with Bo-Leonard and Spock?" Kirk asked sitting down uninvited. He took one of the empty shot glasses and poured himself a shot from Jim's bottle. Picking up the padd, he punched in another drink order.

"Nah. We broke up."

Kirked looked down at the table. "Sorry to hear that. You guys seemed pretty solid."

Jim shrugged and took a drink. "What can I say? Things just didn't work out with me and Bones. It's okay. He's got Spock. They are...good at taking care of each other."

The robo waiter arrived with his beer and a fresh bottle of Jim Beam. Kirk took a drink of his beer and he sighed. "You can leave them just like that?"

"Why not? I'm not really needed now am I?" Jim poured another drink. No, he was not needed. Not by Leonard. Not by Spock.

Kirk's blue eyes studied him for a moment. He recognized the self-pity and self-loathing in Jim as the same he sometimes saw in himself. "I know our realities are similar in some ways. I'm sure you had your share of shitty life experiences when you were younger that shaped you just like I did."

His drink sat untouched as Jim stared into the dark liquid. "That's right. I did. But no worse than anyone else."

Kirk played with the label on his beer. "I never got to know my father. My mother would rather be chasing around space than raise me. Then she married that abusive ass Frank and then I'm on Tarsus, starving, fighting to live...fighting for others to live. Doing whatever it takes."

Jim was quiet. His Frank was an uncle back in Iowa on the family farm. He was strict but he was loving. Unlike this Kirk, he did know his father. His father had been a security officer for Starfleet and had taken him to Tarsus to work at the colony. George Kirk was killed in front of thirteen year old James by Kodos and his men when ga enetically engineered virus struck the plant life causing famine. Not because of the notion 'only the strong survive' but because George Kirk was strong. George Kirk posed a threat to Kodos's authority and was disposed of along with anyone else deemed a threat.

Afterward he did everything he had to do for he and several children to survive; lie, steal, sleep with a guard or two. He learned early on not to trust his bed partners. That most people were only in it for what they could get. Food. Money. When he got older it was for bragging rights, favors, or promotion. The fleet even used this to their advantage to broker deals.

But none of them cared for him. Not even his mother when he returned. She took her husband's death poorly and upon seeing her dirty emaciated son, shut down and sent him to his uncle's farm. Every woman since then was the same. They'd leave when they got what they wanted. They'd leave if they didn't get what they wanted or he became too much for them.

He had a horrible track record with love. Aside from the ones who left, three died. One was an android Spock made him forget. One prosecuted the pants off him at his court martial for the death of Ben Finney. And one stole his body and his ship.

Then Spock and Bones came into his life. He'd been friends with Bones for eleven years before he joined them on their first five year mission. It wasn't until he was killed by the black knight two years later that Jim realized his feelings went beyond friendship. But he never said anything until the end of the mission.

Spock. He was a different story altogether. Jim inherited Spock and Scotty when he took over command of Enterprise. Both had an issue with his age and questioned his ability to command due to inexperience. Scotty also took issue with Jim hanging around engineering. What the Scot didn't know was that Jim was also an engineer and had served in engineering for a few years during his early career.

But that quickly came to an end during their first few missions. Having proved himself, he and Spock settled into a relationship that was not sexual in nature but just as strong as the one he had with Bones. Spock didn't call him "ashayam" or "k'diwa" like he did Bones but he did call him "t'hy'la."

They understood what made him tick. They were demanding nor did they put heavy expectations on him. He was allowed to be himself. They loved him unconditionally and didn't ask for anything in return other than what he was willing to give.

And he'd failed them. They got into a losing fight then were blasted through time and realities. He'd cost them their families and friends. Spock's son Zar. Bone's daughter Joanna. He couldn't bear the weight of those sad blue eyes knowing it was his fault. He was the captain. He was in charge.

Jim gave himself a mental shake and inhaled his shot. "A man like me isn't meant to sit still or be tied down to one person. I need the action. The constant thrill. The rush of being in a no-win situation and coming out on top. Always one step closer to death and laughing in his face when he loses."

Kirk half nodded, not buying one word of it. "I get it. The challenge. The adrenaline rush. Constantly proving you can."

Jim tipped his beer and smiled. "Yup."

Kirk met his gaze and held it. "It's all bullshit."

Jim cocked a brow and smiled. "Is it now?"

Kirk sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. "I can understand that line of thinking when you're younger, but it's different for you now. You're older. You've had more experiences. You know for a fact that Bones - Leonard loves you. With every fiber of his being. Enough so that he left to have your children by himself so you could do what you loved. And Spock, he'd follow you to hell and back if you asked him." He took a swig of his beer. He envied the older him. He had everything Kirk could only dream of. A triad relationship with the two men he cared for most.

Jim glared at him. Leonard's pregnancy was known by only a handful. "How do you know about that?"

Kirk cringed. He didn't mean to let that slip. "Uh...my McCoy."

Why would McCoy violate his confidentiality oath to Leonard? Who else knew about Leonard if McCoy was being loose-lipped? "Leonard was explicit he wanted it to be secret. There are reasons for it."

Kirk held his hands up in surrender. "Relax, relax. Bones fought me on it but I used my captain card."

Jim snorted and shook his head. "That's cheating." Not that he could be mad. He'd done it a few times as well.

"That's using all the tools in my arsenal." Kirk threw back two shots back to back.

"Touche."

"Captain to Captain, older self to younger self, why don't you level with me. Tell me what's really going on in the mind of James T. Kirk?"

Jim leaned back and scrubbed his hands over his face. If he couldn't open up to himself who could he open up to? "I failed them all and lately I'm feeling...insecure. My confidence has been shaken. It embarrasses and pisses me off that I need reassurance-an ego boost when Bones doesn't need anything. He's pregnant and holding it together better than I am. Spock is holding it together better than I am. They don't need me and it pisses me off because I need them."

"One's a vulcan and one has two other beings depending on them." He clapped Jim on the shoulder. "They may not need you but I can guarantee they want you." He took another drink. "Go to them. They'll pick you back up."

"I'll just mess everything up." His voice lowered and he stared into his glass. "I'll mess those sweet innocent children up. I'll mess things up with Bones and Spock. What kind of father would I be?"

"You won't know unless you go back. Give them a chance."

Jim's eyes began to feel heavy. He took his last shot and drank the last of his beer. "I will give your words some thought, captain." He rose to his feet and nearly toppled over. Kirk pulled him back up and straightened him out.

"On that note I will be returning to the hotel." He bid Kirk goodnight and left the bar. Kirk sat back in his seat and guzzled down on his drink.

If only he could solve his own Bones problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kal'i'farr - marriage


	25. Blame the Hormones

After bonding, Spock and Leonard shared the most intense orgasm either had ever had in their lives. After cleaning up, Leonard fell asleep with Spock spooning him from behind. Spock had no intentions of sleeping, though. He’d meditated earlier in the day and was well rested. He spent the night melding with the tiny minds inside his adun and skimming Leonard’s emotions.

He recognized and accepted Leonard’s continued love and desire for Jim. Through the bond he shared with Jim he could feel Jim’s feelings for them ran deep. But Jim’s stubbornness at trying to shoulder the blame for their fate and refusal to believe anyone could love him unconditionally was harming Leonard, Jim, and the children. Jim was necessary and wanted. But how to make him see that?

Spock was brought out of his thoughts when Leonard moaned in his sleep and rubbed his butt against his crotch. Skimming Leonard’s mind, Spock grinned. His adun was having an erotic dream. It seemed he secretly harbored a desire to be pinned and dominated by Spock and Jim. This was completely in opposition to his gruff, take charge, controlling personality he exhibited as Chief Medical Officer -the only person on a starship capable of relieving even the captain of command. Leonard seldom backed down in an argument or a fight. Although...he did have a loving, compassionate, and caring side.

Spock wondered to himself whether Leonard would make a good nepik. Maybe all that ‘bluster’ was only to conceal his true nature. He tilted his head slightly as he watched Leonard’s sleeping form. Only one way to find out.

“Lights ten percent.” He kissed the back of Leonard’s neck, across his shoulder and down his arm as he worked Leonard’s sleep shorts down his hips and off his legs. A half hard erection began to fill to full hardness as Spock ran his finger along the large vein running the length. He bent Leonard’s top leg and pushed it up exposing his still reddened holes.

Reaching for the lube, he slicked up his fingers and slipped them inside. Leonard moaned softly but didn’t stir. He still thought he was dreaming. Spock placed kisses along his neck and shoulder as he fingered him open. Leonard responded by pushing back against his fingers and moaning. When he was prepped enough, Spock slid in halfway and started with slow shallow thrusts. He wanted Leonard to consciously participate so he put his fingers on the meld points.

“Wake up and feel me,” he murmured in Leonard’s ear.

Leonard’s eyes slowly blinked open. He tried to turn over onto his back but Spock held him in place with a hand gripping a striped hip. Leonard rolled his shoulder and found himself staring up into a pair of black eyes. His eyebrows furrowed. “Spock?”

“Are you awake?” he asked kissing Leonard’s soft lips.

“I think so?”

Spock smiled lecherously. “Good.” Before Leonard could blink, Spock slammed into him, grazing his prostate on the way. Leonard gripped the sheet and cried out in surprise.

“Fuck me! Good god damn!”

Spock gave him a cocky look. “That is precisely what I plan to do.”

“That’s not what I mea-!” Leonard could only hold on for dear life and cry out as Spock took him fast and furious, different from their earlier make out session. Spock’s grip on his hip was so hard, Leonard couldn’t even push back.

Spock felt consumed. Did Leonard know how much he made Spock feel? How much Spock desired him? Spock slammed into Leonard, hard and deep,making him arch and scream but unable to go anywhere or do anything but take it. All logic and reason fled him as he was overcome by the flames of his desire. More. It wasn’t enough. He needed more.

Pulling out, he quickly got to his knees and lifted Leonard’s top leg before slamming back in. He placed his hands down on the mattress on either side of Leonard. In this half twist position, he had access to Leonard’s front and back. He felt like a man possessed, hips driving into his beloved, blackened eyes staring down into those glazed blue eyes so different from his own. Unconstrained to show the wide range of emotions he felt.

His hands were in his beloved’s hair tugging him into a kiss. They wandered down and found themselves on his neck feeling the carotid pulse beneath his fingertips. Stroking over Leonard’s strong shoulders that helped carry him to sick bay more times than he could recount. Fingers groped and kneaded his beautiful breasts that would soon nurse his unborn sons. They drew large circles over his massive belly where Spock and Jim’s boys were kept safe and nurtured, his wide hips, stroked his hard cock and maneuvered those powerful thighs around his slim waist.

“T’nash-veh, k’diwa. Ni vaksurik k’kan’es k’kanu. T’nash-veh shaula vravshau. T’nash-veh!”

Leonard’s head grew fuzzy. He didn’t know how to speak Vulcan but he didn’t need to. The bond told him all he needed to know. Spock was filled with a primal need to touch every inch of Leonard’s pregnant body he could reach to worship, to claim, to possess. To dominate.

That made him shiver. He cried out as Spock grabbed his wrists, pinning him down and quickened his pace. Over the slap, slap, slap of skin on skin was the sound of Leonard’s cries and curses and Spock’s heavy breathing and voice growling out in vulcan. His sa-telsu taking him and doing with him as he pleased quickly drove Leonard to the brink.

He came crying out Spock’s name and Spock followed after with an inhuman growl. Teeth sank into the base of Leonard’s neck making him cry out and vision to darken while Spock pumped him full of his essence. Spock collapsed on his side pulling Leonard to his chest.

Chest heaving and still dazed, Leonard reached up and touched Spock’s swollen lips with two fingers. “Love you.”

Spock stroked his two fingers with Leonard’s then bent down and kissed his lips. “Ashau tu.”

Leonard awoke later to the sound of a com going off. Groaning, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and reached for it on the nightstand. He flopped down on his back with an arm over his eyes. “This is McCoy.”

“Bones?”

Leonard frowned as he opened his eyes to look at the communicator in his hand. It was Spock’s. Clearing his throat, he sat up and looked around. Where was that kinky ass vulcan? “Hey, Jim. Let me find Spock for you.” He felt a nudge at the back of his mind and an image of the front of the ranch came to his mind.

“I think he went on a run, Jim.” He stretched all his aching muscles and moaned as the stiffness left his joints. Spock really worked him over.

“Okay. Tell him to call me back.”

“Why don’t you just come by for breakfast?”

“I would but I’m getting ready to -”

Leonard sighed and cut him off. “Jim, when are you going to stop running?”

“I’m not running from anything, Bones.”

“Lie to yourself but I know you better.”

“...I gotta go. Catch ya later, Bones.”

Leonard scowled at the com in his hand and for several seconds contemplated hurling it at the wall. He felt another nudge and dropped it on the bed. “Stupid self-loathing starship captains,” he grumbled getting out of bed. He waddled into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Sarek of Vulcan was nothing like the council. The man moved swiftly. Just three days after their lunch meeting, Leonard had sixty people to interview and examine. He had to meet with M’Benga, Sanchez, McCoy, and Chapel before that and arrange their new lab. He and Spock could plot and scheme how to deal with Jim later.

He grabbed his padd, slipped on his flip flops and was on his way out the door when his arm was grabbed and he was dragged to the kitchen and plopped down in a chair. His padd was snatched out of his hand and replaced with a fork. He glared up at Spock.

“What the hell’s gotten into you, vulcan?” Leonard seeth. “Tossin’ me ‘round like imma ragdoll.”

“You were getting ready to leave without feeding yourself or the children.”

“I occur to you that maybe I was gonna to grab somethin’ on the way?”

Spock crossed his arms over his chest with an unimpressed look. “Do not lie to me. You were going to go straight to the lab and start working. If I had not intervened it is highly probable you would not have eaten until lunch.”

Leonard scowled and rose out of his seat. Who was the doctor? “Listen here you -”

“Kroykah!” Spock commanded.

Leonard’s mouth snapped shut.

“Nam’uh ralash-fam.” He pointed to the chair. Leonard plopped down like a petulant child. Through the bond, Spock could feel Leonard’s annoyance but grudging compliance. The corners of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. His adun would make a good submissive in time. “Spa’ra.”

Leonard picked up the fork and stabbed at his fruit. Stupid, sexy, green blooded -

“I’kaq’soi,” Spock warned.

Blue eyes rolled heavenward. “Fine.”

“The correct response is ‘ah, osu.’” Spock sat down with a cup of juice. He watched the different emotions play across Leonard’s face as he ate. Searching their new bond, Spock could tell that on one hand, Leonard was happy to do as Spock commanded. On the other, he was questioning how his submission would affect his life. He needed for others not to know he was naturally submissive. He was a doctor...kinda and he needed to be able to be in control. Spock put his hand on Leonard’s thigh and gave him a light squeeze.

“Do not think too hard on it. This was just a test. If you do not want to do this, we will not.”

Leonard’s cheeks turned pink. “I’ve always submitted to you and Jim, and not just because you’re my commanding officers-unless I didn’t agree.”

“That is true.”

“I’ve always felt I could let go and let you guys take charge. That you’d take care of things.”

Spock tucked a strand of grey behind Leonard’s ear. All of his hair was brown except some grey chunks at his temples. It looked good on Leonard especially with his hair longer. “We will start slow. You tell me what you like and what you want and I will do the same.”

“Fair enough.”

“Hurry and eat. We must get to the lab in 45 minutes and 32 seconds.”

Leonard rolled his eyes. One day he’ll teach him to round up.

*********

They arrived at the lab with ten minutes to spare. By lab he meant a modified private office building that had been converted into a lab. It was similar to Leonard’s lab except it had two rooms with three extra monitors and six biobeds. There was a larger refrigeration unit and four workstations for Leonard and the other doctors. There were three scanning machines with interactive 3D imagery and portable baby cribs.

M’Benga and Sanchez looked like kids in the candy store. Leonard understood their excitement. He was just keeping it under wraps. They began rearranging the equipment the way they wanted it until McCoy arrived with an andorian nurse to assist.

McCoy wrapped him in an embrace. “Good to see you again, doctor.”

Leonard smiled. “It’s been a while.”

“Yes, indeedy. How are ya holdin’ up?” His eyes landed on Leonard’s massive belly and he raised a brow. “Ya look ready to pop.”

Leonard patted his stomach. “I feel it. These little sweethearts are mighty active. I blame their fathers.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder in Spock’s direction. The vulcan raised a brow and kept moving things where he was instructed.

McCoy took one of Leonard’s swollen hands in his. “Been watchin’ yer sodium intake?”

“Oh yeah. M’Benga and Spock have been all over me.” Leonard felt mild amusement from Spock. A com chirped and Spock excused himself to answer it. Leonard and McCoy both turned to scrutinize the rooms with an arm over their stomach and thumb under the chin.

“Looks like we’re read,” McCoy said turning to the side.

Leonard nodded and rocked on his toes slightly. “As ready as we’ll ever be.”

Spock closed his com. “The volunteers are ready to begin beaming over.”

Both McCoys looked at each other. “Let’s get this over with.”

*****

Leonard stormed through the house and up the stairs. His feet were killing him and he just wanted to crawl into bed. Spock followed behind him after turning off the lights downstairs and securing the bottom floor. When he returned, Leonard was pacing and muttering to himself.

“They say vulcan’s don’t tell jokes,” Leonard sneered when Spock entered the room. “It’s the biggest crock of shit I’ve ever heard! What the hell was Sarek thinking sending me those volunteers? Is he out of his vulcan mind?!” he yelled tapping his temple.

Spock lifted Leonard’s shirt over his head and tried to get him out of his leggings. “If anyone can do it, you can.”

Leonard pulled away, topless, with one leg still in his leggings. “I’m a doctor not a miracle worker! He sent me a tellerite-andorian couple.” He paused as Spock held him still and pulled his leggings off then resumed pacing. “What am I supposed to do? Andorians body temp is colder’n hell and tellerites have higher body temps than humans! Then you give me a denobulan, and - they reproduce asexually if you didn’t know- and a rigelian whose gestation period is eighteen months!”

Spock shoved a nightshirt on over Leonard’s head while he was still and kissed his cheek. “Be calm, ashayam.”

“Calm?! Calm!” He curled his fingers as if he wanted to choke the air. “Spock, he sent me a gorn. A gorn!” He threw his hands up in the air.

Sarek had indeed given Leonard a difficult task. But Spock was confident in his adun’s abilities. “I was there.” The only way Leonard was going to calm down was to vent it all out. Spock got himself prepared for bed. When he was finished, he turned the comforter down and sat on the bed watching his adun.

“I nearly pissed muhself. The last time we ran into a gorn it nearly killed Jim!”

“Am I to assume you are going to abandon these couples?”

Leonard flopped down onto the bed with a huff and pulled his hair out of his hair tie. “No. I won’t. I can’t. Every couple should have a chance at expanding their family no matter how odd the pairing,” he muttered.

Spock put a hand on his belly. “That is so.”

Leonard sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “What are we gonna do about Jim?”

“I think the best strategy would be to-” Spock paused to lay on his side and strike a sexy pose. “-‘show him what he’s missing.’”

Leonard was quiet a moment then burst into a fit of giggles. Spock was too much for his own good at times. Sneaky vulcan. He cuddled up to the sassmaster and kissed his lips. “You think it will work?”

“There is a high probability.” He pulled Leonard close and kissed the top of his head. “You’ve had a long day. Rest now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *How would you describe this gesture in simple terms? https://66.media.tumblr.com/42cf313a057204c6ad3f0d2be93ce72b/tumblr_nu9uxyXMoy1tfxs7go1_500.jpg
> 
> Vulcan Words/Phrases  
Adun-husband   
nepik-submissive   
Ashau tu-love you  
k'diwa-beloved   
T'nash-veh - my/mine   
Ah, osu-yes, sir  
Ni vaksurik k'kan'es k'kanu-so beautiful pregnant with children  
T'nash-veh shaula vravshau - my self control fails  
Kroykah-stop   
I'kaq'soi-behave   
spa'ra-eat  
Nam'uh ralash-fam- be silent


	26. Opposition

A week passed and the fertility team had managed to work around several issues. One of their couples was an older vulcan male near the end of his mating years and his younger bondmate whose blood carried a toxin that killed her mate’s sperm before an egg could be fertilized. They tried cloning but genetic flaws caused the child to die. No one’s body was of similar composition so a surrogate was out.

Another couple, the female’s womb had been damaged when her homeworld was invaded and she was stabbed in the gut. Sanchez’s expertise in genetics was called in to play to help solve dna combination issues. Due to his assistance at a biotechnology conference years ago, Scotty was called in as well. The nanites had to be specially calibrated and programmed for each couple so younger Spock was called in to assist Spock and Scotty with making the calibrations go faster. Scotty Scot and Keenser came along to lend an extra set of hands and learn something new in biotechnology. The goal was to get every birther implanted and ready to let nature and nanintes do their thing in a week’s time.

Spock was splitting his time between working with Leonard in the lab and assisting Jim with their Enterprise. Several areas of the ship had already been remodeled. The engines, med bay, computers, and labs were going to take the longest to do. Spock took this time to try to bring Jim back into the fold.

“Jim,” Spock began as they sat to a game of chess. He didn’t enjoy being away from Leonard but he had done his part and was not needed so he was helping Jim. Leonard had all but packed his bags and kicked him out when he found out Spock was going to see Jim and demanded that he bring him home.

“I would like it if you would come back to Georgia with Leonard and I until after the children are born.”

Jim paused with his piece in the air. He hadn’t expected this topic so soon. “I dunno, Spock. You and Leonard seem to have everything under control. I don’t want to be underfoot.”

“How could you think that? You are our partner. Even though Leonard tends to defer to us, the three of us are equals in this relationship.”

“Leonard put you up to this?”

“No. Your absence has had a profound impact on Leonard and his emotions impact the children. I am attempting to amend the situation so that you would feel more comfortable returning.”

Jim sat back and narrowed his gaze at his partner. He felt along their bond and saw that Spock’s words were true. He and Leonard wanted Jim back. But why?

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea right now.”

Spock grinned ever so slightly. “Then you will, at some point, return.”

Jim froze at that thought. Would he? Could he let go of his own feelings and put them - all of them first? Could he allow himself to rely on them? To let go of being Captain James T. Kirk and just be Jim? Husband? Father? “I-”

The com in his room interrupted. “Pardon the interruption, captain.”

Jim scowled and pursed his lips into a tight line reminding Spock of Leonard. Why? Just why? Every. Single. Time. He sucked down his irritation to answer the ensign. “Go ahead.”

“There’s an Admiral Kadinsi on the line for you, sir.”

A frown crossed Jim’s face. What could they want? He looked over at Spock who simply arched a brow as he often did to signal he had no clue.

“Patch it through to my terminal.” Jim walked across the room to the terminal and sat at the desk. Spock stood off to the side with his hands behind his back.

A woman dressed in Starfleet dress uniform appeared on the screen. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun making her features overly angular. Dark beady eyes peered at him. Jim glanced to the side to see Spock looking on the defensive.

“Mister Kirk.”

Right off Jim knew this wasn’t going to be friendly. There were those that looked on him and his crew as an inconvenience and didn’t feel they should be recognized as Starfleet officers simply because they were not of this reality. More than several times he had to remind officers of his rank and set them straight using regulations on how they should be conducting themselves and treating displaced time travelers. He mentally prepared himself to treat this admiral as a hostile enemy.

He put on his million dollar smile. “Admiral. How may I be of service?”

“It has reached my attention that a Leon Kirxtm is using Starfleet personnel and resources to conduct illegal experiments. This Kirxtm is not a licensed doctor and therefore not authorized to practice medicine, conduct experiments, or have access to Starfleet equipment and staff.”

“Forgive my ignorance but how is that my problem? Sounds like an issue for the locals. Also, what does Starfleet care of one unlicensed citizen working in their own time?”

“Your staff and the staff of the Enterprise have been assisting.”

Jim frowned. “I see. But why does Starfleet care? No one is neglecting their duties?”

“This Leon is playing god. He is manipulating genes and creating mixed-race children. This is an abomination and perversion of science. If the species were meant to reproduce, nature would have handled it herself.”

Jim smirked. He didn’t much enjoy dealing with bigots and xenophobes. “I dunno about that, admiral. There are times in human reproduction that nature has needed a...helping hand.”

She clenched her teeth and pointed at him through the screen. “You _will_ put an end to it! Confiscate all data and equipment, shut down the lab, and take this Leon and all his participants into custody.”

Jim felt Spock’s rage and indignation through the bond. He was barely holding his own back. “I will see what I can do, admiral.”

“See that you do. You have one week.” The screen went black. Jim sat back in his chair with his hands clenched into fists.

“I will not allow anyone to touch Leonard.”

He could hear the threat of harm should anyone touch Bones in Spock’s voice. “No,” Jim replied absently. “I won’t either.” But what could he do? He had to do _something_ to protect Bones and the children. But what? He looked up as Spock walked around to the front of the desk. His eyes lit up as an idea came to mind.

“Jim, your look suggests you have found a solution.”

“Indeed I have, Mr. Spock,” he grinned, all teeth on display.

“What are we going to do?”

Jim’s eyebrows raised in amusement. “We? _We_ are going to do nothing.”

Spock crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “I don’t follow.”

“This experiment Bones is conducting, the building and equipment came from Ambassador Sarek, did it not?”

“That is correct.”

Jim’s smile broadened. “Therefore, Starfleet has no jurisdiction over it.”

Spock raised a brow.

“This experiment falls under the sanctions of the Vulcan Council,” Jim rushed to explain. For someone so brilliant, Spock had his moments when things flew over his head. “As Leonard is also a vulcan citizen, Starfleet has no jurisdiction or authority over him. They’ll have to deal with the Vulcan High Council themselves.”

Understanding dawned on him and Spock half nodded. “I doubt they would want to tangle with the council at this time. With their numbers so low, the council is embracing any and all means to increase the population.”

“Exactly. I don’t know of anyone who willingly goes up against T’Pau.”

“Agreed. Since Leonard is a member of the House of Surak, T’Pau will do her utmost to ensure the protection of her clan members. Especially seeing as he is pregnant with part vulcanian children.”

Jim stood and straightened out his shirt. Even though he wasn’t going to do as the admiral commanded, he needed to do more to protect Bones. He started for the door to his room. “Come along, Spock. We need to rally the troops.”

“Rally the troops? Are we going to war?”

“In a sense. I doubt this will be the last time we hear from Admiral Kadinsi nor is she likely to be the last one to attempt to go after Leonard’s research. We need to be prepared.”


	27. First Strike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things just got a little messy.

Leonard opened his mail, took a quick glance, then deleted the message. Every other day he seemed to be getting messages calling him a traitor, human, trash and so on. Seeing it as a pathetic, juvenile attempt by xenophobic, brainless morons to insult him, Leonard simply ignored them and kept it moving. He had bigger fish to fry.

A week and a half had passed since the implantation of the falutero into the thirty birthers. So far all were still intact and functioning. Six were already pregnant. Ten were not in their mating cycles yet. The others, they were running tests on the sires to see if there was something happening on that end preventing impregnation.

He rolled up the sleeves on his robe so they wouldn’t be in the way while he took samples. M’Benga and Sanchez took two thirds of the couples into the other part of the lab while Leonard worked with the rest in the main lab. He had the birthers standing off to one side chatting amongst themselves about how excited they were to be doing this.

He sat on a stook and smiled as he took blood samples from their partners.

“We share their sentiment,” one of the sires said to Leonard.

“What’s that?”

The cardassian male stood and pulled down his sleeve as the next male sat to give his sample. “We are happy to be here. To be doing this.” He glanced over at his mate, a hybrid of some sort Leonard couldn’t recall. “We have been mated fifteen years and gave up hope that we’d ever have children after so many failures.”

Leonard frowned. The falutero gave them a chance at having a family but it was not a solid guarantee they could. Some things were beyond him as a doctor. “Don’t go singin’ my praise just yet.” He smiled as he finished the second male. “Lot of this is up to chance and whatever deity you believe in grantin’ us our wishes”

The male he had just taken a sample from, crossed his arms over his chest in an 'x' and bowed. “Then on all our behalves, may Mau’mo imbue you with the knowledge and skill to be successful.”

The other sires stood in a circle surrounding him and did their version of a prayer to their respective deities. Leonard stood in awe. Never did he think his work could be so life-changing for so many. So many times in his career he’d been instrumental in _saving_ lives not _creating_ them. To be the reason someone was able to be brought into existence because they were so wanted was monumental and humbling all at once.

Someone kissed his forehead and another wiped tears he didn’t even know had fallen off his cheeks. Damn sentimental wannabe parents. Stupid hormones making him sappy. “Thank you, for that,” he muttered.

“No, doctor, thank _you_.”

They finished all the testing on the sires and were discussing the data when there was an explosion that rattled the building. Leonard tried to protect his staff but M’Benga and one of the sires threw themselves in front of Leonard and covered his head instead. Smoke filled the room and the door was blown open. All Leonard saw through the smoke were red shirts shouting and pointing phasers.

When the smoke cleared, a Starfleet lieutenant strode in like they owned the place. He looked around with an air of boredom and his eyes landed on Leonard.

“You gotta lotta damn nerve!” Leonard roared, pulling out of M’Benga’s hold. “Who the hell do you think you are?! There are pregnant people in here.”

The officer looked over Leonard’s shoulder at the startled and angry couples then back to Leonard. “Leon Kirxtm?”

“Yeah? And?” Leonard looked around at all the security personnel.

“You are under arrest.”

Rage and confusion rushed through him. “Like hell! For what?”

The lieutenant held out a padd. “For attempting to create dangerous super soldiers using medical science and techniques from the future. This lab is shut down. All of your research and equipment will be confiscated.”

Leonard’s eyes widened. “You are out of your ever lovin’ mind if you think I'm 'bout to let you do that!? Who authorized this bullshit?!”

“Take them into custody.”

Leonard widened his stance and put his guard up. “Don’t you touch us or I’ll rip your fuckin’ head off!”

Two officers grabbed Leonard by his upper arms and dragged him forward. Another tried to put cuffs on him but Leonard kicked him in the chest. He yanked one arm free and struck the other officer in the nose with the heel of his hand. He wasn’t violent but to protect his children and patients, he was gonna kick some ass. His fist connected with another officer's cheek. His head spun to the left as he was punched and he nearly lost his balance stumbling backward.

“Stop!” M’Benga shouted, trying to twist out of the hold two officers had on him. “You’ll hurt him!” Leonard and a few of the more aggressive sires were fighting with the security officers while the birthers were being corralled on one side of the room. An officer had Dr. Sanchez in a choke hold.

“It’s his own fault.," the lieutenant sniffed and tugged down his sleeves. 

M’Benga pulled harder as Leonard blocked a kick to his stomach. “He’s pregnant!”

The officer looked at his nails and sighed. “Not my problem.”

Leonard was shoved into a wall, knocking the wind out of him. He collapsed to his knees with a groan as the officer landed a punch to his side.

“Kroykah!” a voice bellowed.

All activity froze and everyone turned to the voice. Eyes widened and gasps were heard as T’Pau of Vulcan strode into the room followed by Ambassador Sarek, and several other diplomats and aides. The Starfleet officer paled when he saw who he was dealing with.

Her sharp eyes scanned the room stopping on where Leonard was collapsed on the floor and cradling his belly. “What is going on here?”

“This is a Starfleet matter, ma’am?” the lieutenant said puffing out his chest.

She turned to Sarek. “I did not know it was in Starfleet’s nature to injure those heavy with child.”

Sarek looked over at Leonard then the other participants he'd selected for this experiment. "It appears we were mistaken."

The lieutenant's face turned dark red.

T'Pau fixed her sharp eyes on the lieutenant. “Again I ask, what is going on here?”

“Leon Kirxtm is under arrest for attempting to create super soldiers using the knowledge of science and technology of his time.”

“Are thee aware to whom this building and equipment belongs?” she asked.

The officer looked confused.

Sarek stepped forward. “It seems he is not. This building and equipment belong to the Vulcan High Council. As such, Dr. Kirxtm is in the employ of the Vulcan HIgh Council.”

The officer looked over at where Leonard lay with M’Benga and Dr. Sanchez fussing over him. A few of the birthers and sires were standing closer, acting as a shield as they worked.

“Furthermore, he is a Vulcan citizen and under the purvue of Vulcan and its officers. Any crimes he has committed will be dealt with accordingly based on Vulcan law.” There was no mistaking the edge to Sarek’s voice as he stepped closer to the officer. “Take your men and leave.”

The lieutenant bowed and scurried from the room as fast as he could without losing his dignity. His men had no such qualms and were eager to escape. They’d heard of the frightening display of strength and aggression Commander Spock had displayed years ago. No one wanted to incur such wrath from a full vulcan.

“I’m fine, dammit!” Leonard cried out and clutched his stomach as he felt another stabbing pain in his abdomen. Not again.

“Be still!” M’Benga hissed. He pressed the hypospray to Leonard’s neck and dispensed the medication. The erratic lines on the tricorder began to level out and a haziness came over Leonard’s eyes. Sanchez supported his head his body went slack. They were so focused on Leonard, no one saw the two men materialize in the center of the room.


	28. Trials and Jubilations

Jim and Spock sat quietly on either side of Leonard's biobed listening to the beep and blips of the machines. Drs. Sanchez and M'Benga had stopped Leonard's contractions- again- and treated the bruises and cuts he'd sustained in his fight. While proud of him for standing up for himself and his patients as he always did, they were both angry at him for putting himself and the children in danger. Jim's leg was pumping up and down a mile a minute while Spock meditated with his eyes closed to temper the uncharacteristic anger he was feeling.

Jim had a feeling after they'd gotten the call from the admiral that they'd try something. He was glad he contacted Ambassador Sarek and encouraged him to do a tour of the new facility ahead of schedule and observe Bones and his team in action. What he did not expect was for his pregnant partner to be involved in a fist fight so far along in the pregnancy with Starfleet personnel in front of the mostly civilian volunteers. T'Pau was also a surprise.

"You realize T'Pau will not let this go," Spock appeared to be thinking of the matriarch of the House of Surak as well.

"I'm aware," Jim pinched the bridge of his nose.

Spock opened his eyes and turned to face Jim. "She may begin pressuring us to bring Leonard and the children to New Vulcan."

Jim snickered. Her energy would be wasted. Bones had defied her counterpart once. He'd do it again. "There's no way Bones will do that."

"Indeed."

They both stood as Leonard groaned trying to sit up. Jim adjusted the bed so he was sitting up a little higher and Spock turned down the light over the bed. Leonard opened his eyes and looked around.

"Wha's 'appen?"

"You started having contractions again. M'Benga sedated you," Spock lightly touched his shoulder and skimmed the bond for any discomfort or distress. He could only feel slight confusion.

Leonard scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. " And today started off so well."

Jim leaned over the bed. Someone was going to pay for this. "Bones, what happened?"

He thought for a moment. What did happen? Leonard bolted upright and his eyes darkened with rage as it came rushing back. His hands started flying around as he spoke, nearly knocking Jim on his ass.

"We were discussin' the results of the blood tests we'd just taken on the couples that wasn't pregnant yet when the door blows open and all this smoke and redshirts start fillin' up the place, yellin' and screamin', threatenin' me, tellin' me I'm under arrest, accusin' me of stuff and-"

Warmth flowed through him like hot cocoa on a cold day. Serenity flowed right behind it and Leonard lay back against the pillows as the fight drained right out of him. Damn hobgoblin!

Jim and Spock looked up at the monitors to see they'd gone back to normal. Spock took his hand off Leonard's shoulder. "Jim it might be wise to refrain from questioning Leonard about this event."

Jim's eyes were still glued to the monitor which had just been covered with sharp, jagged lines. The alarm was blaring and a light above it flashing in warning. It was amazing how fast the readings went from sedate to stroke territory. Leonard was apparently still fired up about the event. 

So was he. He wanted information so he could go to Starfleet and demand answers. "Can you access his memories and find out?" he asked turning to Spock.

"Only if he allows it." The alarm and light went off as nurse Chapel appeared. She took a look at the three men then left with a shake of her head. Spock looked down at Leonard who looked calm and peaceful. "K'diwa."

"Hmm?" he sounded dazed like he did when he had been brainwashed on Beta III and started professing the wonders of Landru. He wasn't though. He was miffed that Spock used his telepathy on him. Leonard understood the why. He still didn't like being controlled. Kinda.

"I would like to meld with you."

He blinked at him. "Why?"

"I want to know what happened."

Leonard looked back and forth between Jim and Spock. "Alright. But only today and nothing else. Don't want you siftin' around in there, messin' up the place."

"I would not," Spock huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Leonard and Jim chuckled. "I'm teasin', hobgoblin. Go ahead."

**********

His cover was blown but the vulcan response to what occurred was swift and scathing. Leonard's box was full of members of Starfleet tripping over themselves either to apologise, to get in on his research and experiment, or demand he submit to scans and tests by Starfleet. The lab had been repaired and expanded on Starfleet's dime. Jim barely refrained from beating the tar out of the officer that hit Leonard and demanded he and the lieutenant that was sent to take him into custody be transferred off world immediately.

The taunting messages upped in number with one or two threats thrown in here and there. By the end of the second week, Leonard was exhausted and had stopped checking his messages. He gave his com number to the participants and staff and the rest he ignored.

Jim spent more time with him when he wasn't dealing with the admiralty or ferrying diplomats. Spock had taken up a teaching position nearby. After hearing what happened, the crew took it upon themselves to make sure one of them was with Leonard at all times and Sarek had a guard on standby if someone couldn't do their day.

Used to operating autonomously, Leonard felt stifled. He wasn't used to being treated like a priceless jewel and having his every movement monitored. Seeing that it made Jim and Spock feel more secure, he let it go with less fuss than usual. M'Benga and Sanchez did any in person tests and scans of the participants necessary and Leonard assessed and did diagnoses via video conferencing. Fourteen days after they began to do their experiment, all the couples had conceived.

A small celebration was held to congratulate the couples and celebrate the new lives. The two crews rented out the restaurant side of a bar and invited all the couples to dinner. The couples ended up turning the celebration into a worship and praise session of Leonard, M'Benga, and Dr. Sanchez. They reasoned that it was fate ordained by their gods or goddesses that had the Enterprise crew from 2267 sent to this time and reality to bless the families with their heart's desires.

Leonard would blame the hormones for his sudden weepiness.

Spock eventually took a sleepy Leonard home and the couples followed not too long after. A few of the crew stayed behind for drinks. Eventually Jim was left after Scotty got an impromptu date. He was getting ready to leave when he saw McCoy rush in. He'd had a surgery that ran late and missed the party. Jim waved him over figuring they'd have a few drinks to let McCoy know what he'd missed and then he'd head out.

Having stayed back to talk to someone he knew from the academy, Kirk and Spock were standing near the back of the bar when they saw McCoy enter. He started to walk up to him but stopped. McCoy didn't seem to see them. He turned and waved to someone in a booth. Kirk frowned as he saw the doctor walk over to his counterpart and the two sat down. What were they hanging out together for? Pulling the cap further down to hide his face, he grabbed Spock's arm and quickly walked across the bar, and slid into the booth directly behind the one McCoy and Jim sat in.

"Jim, what are we doing here?" Younger Spock asked looking around.

"Spying."

"Spying? On who?"

"Bones."

Spock raised a brow. "Why?"

Kirk sighed. "Listen. I have to come clean. I have feelings for Bones. I always have. I didn't think he'd go for someone like me so I just slept around to bury my feelings for him. I was going to tell him after graduation but then Nero happened and I met Ambassador Spock."

Spock sat up straighter and gave Jim his full attention. He too had something to confess.

"Because of what the ambassador said about us, I stopped looking at Bones. I thought it was just supposed to be me and you like it was just him and his Jim Kirk." He took a breath. "But then Jim and his crew came and I see how the relationship is between him, his Bones and his Spock. They fit so right and, to me, it just looks so wrong to see them apart. And I started thinking, if _they_ could get together," he looked up into Spock's eyes. "Why can't I have you and Bones too?"

Spock was quiet a moment as he thought of the best phrasing for what he had to say. "I confess that I also have feelings for Dr. McCoy. The ambassador told me he didn't tell me about the future because he did not want to influence my decisions. I felt something similar to the feelings I have for you when the doctor and I were on Altamid and I began to pursue them. I had thought we'd grow closer but it seems the opposite has happened."

"We need to find out how to fix it."

"Agreed."

Kirk nodded in the direction of the other booth. "For now, we're spying."

*************

"I'm angry," Jim was saying. "Any time Bones has needed me, I've been unable to do anything. He's nearly died _five_ times and each time it was Spock who found the cure or revived him. Spock fought for him in an arena and broke him out of a prison while I could only watch. He's been attacked twice in this reality while pregnant with _my_ kids and we showed up too late. Do you know how useless, how worthless that makes me feel?"

McCoy silently stared into the liquid in his glass. "Yeah, Jimmy. I do."

Jim stared at him over his drink.

McCoy gulped down his drink. "Spock once beat the holy living god out of Jim and I didn't try to stop him because I knew we'd both be in the med bay. Then because of Kahn our Jim _died_. He was dead as a doornail in a body bag, brought to _my_ sick bay and I couldn't tell him how I felt. By chance I figured out how to bring him back and with Spock and Uhura's help, we did it. I thought I had my second chance." He looked over to see Jim smiling.

"But he woke up with eyes only for Spock." McCoy inhaled his drink. "He didn't outright say it but it was there in the way they looked at each other, the way they spoke to each other. He only thanked Spock." He lowered his voice. "That hurt. I hid that hurt by cracking some joke that Uhura and I helped."

Jim stared at the table. That hadn't happened to him. He could understand McCoy's bitterness.

McCoy sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat with a thump. Unbeknownst to him, Kirk and young Spock jumped in surprise on the other side. "It just kept happening over and over. Not the dying - but the Jim-Spock moments. When we were in Yorktown, he was in trouble, about to be sucked out into space. I have all these phobias about space and flying but I swallowed that down and zipped over there to save him. Spock crawled through the hatch and snatched him out of the air and dragged him into the ship." His hazels met Jim's hazels and he snorted. "You know what Jim says?"

Jim shrugged and poured him another drink.

McCoy shook his head. "He says '_what would I do without you, Spock_?' No '_thanks for the help, Bones._' No '_what would I do without you too, Bones?_' Only Spock." He gulped down his drink. Tears stung his eyes but he refused to let them fall. "They were both going to leave and thought nothing of how it would affect me. I only stayed in space because of them. It was pretty clear from there where I stood in the grand scheme of things so I gave up." He poured another drink and inhaled it just as quickly. "And here we are."

Jim nodded and drank his in one gulp. "And here we are."

McCoy shook his finger. "But there is one difference between us."

"And what's that?"

"They love and _acknowledge_ their love for you. It's there for everyone to see. They don't ask you to be something you're not. They accept everything you throw at them. They just ask for you to be there in whatever capacity you can. To give whatever you're willing to give."

"But is it enough? Is it okay for them to accept just part of me when most of me is up there?" He pointed at the ceiling.

McCoy made a face. "They ain't complainin' so I'd say so." He played with his next shot. "Listen, I'd give anything to be in your shoes. You have two loving partners and you're about to be a father. Having a place to go home to where you can lay out your heart and hide from the world isn't the worst thing there is."

Jim watched quietly as McCoy stood and adjusted his shirt.

"No, the worst thing is shutting your heart off and having no home to return to." He gulped down his beer and placed the glass on the table. Patting Jim on the shoulder, he left. Jim drummed his fingers on the table, lost in thought. Maybe McCoy was right.

On the other side of the booth, Kirk and Spock looked at each other.

Kirk felt like his heart had been torn out. "Could that be true?" He wiped the stinging tears from his eyes. "We did that to him?"

Young Spock tilted his head slightly. "It would certainly explain a few things."

"How could we have been so oblivious? Bones was my roommate for three years. I didn't see it at all."

"The past cannot be changed. I suggest we focus our efforts on rectifying the situation."

Kirk adjusted his ballcap and stood. "Agreed." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder who is going to fix their relationship issue first?


	29. Fanning the Flames

Leonard woke up to his com going off. He snatched it off the nightstand and answered without opening his eyes.

"What?"

"Leonard, it's me."

Frowning, he opened his eyes and looked at the chronometer. "Joseph? It's 530. Why are you calling me so early?" He sat up and looked around and noticed the sun hadn't even started to rise and Spock was gone. Probably on a run or meditating.

"I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important."

Leonard stretched his back and scratched his stomach. All the cream and oil in the world did nothing for the itch as the twins stretched him to capacity. "Spit it out, man."

"The lab's been vandalized."

"Hold on." Fully awake, Leonard forced himself out of bed, rushed to the bedroom door and shut it. He waddled into the bathroom and closed the door before sitting on the edge of the bathtub. If Spock returned he didn't want him to overhear the conversation. The vulcan was more than just a little overprotective as of late. Leonard shored up his mental shields and took a deep breath. "What happened?"

"Some xeno-terrorist group calling themselves X destroyed the equipment and wrote all over with spray paint. Spray paint! In this day and age. Who does that?"

Leonard snickered. "How original."

"Apparently they believe the different alien races shouldn't mix and they attack fertility clinics and hospitals that aid interspecies couples."

"But how did they find out about our little lab? It's not even a month old and only so many people knew of its location and purpose."

"My guess is someone from Starfleet let it leak."

Why didn't that surprise him? He paused the hand that was scratching his scalp. "Wait. What are you doing there so early?" We're not due in until 10 and I hope you've got some security with you."

"Sanchez came to help me. Said he couldn't sleep. I was actually trying to get most of my paperwork out of the way so I would have time to thoroughly examine you today."

One of the twins kicked him in the rib making him take a deep breath. "I'm fine."

"You've been under a lot of stress and we've had to stop contractions twice. Your blood pressure is still high and you look like the Stay Puff Marshmallow guy. I'm doing a thorough scan of you today even if I have to call Commander Spock and Captain Kirk to get it done."

Leonard glowered at the com. "Fine."

"Fine."

"I'll be there as soon as I get dressed."

"Absolutely not. You keep doing what you were doing. We're downloading files to take with us. But there's nothing we can do here. I'll examine you at your house."

That was fine. They didn't need to see anyone for a few weeks unless a problem arose. Everything else could be done via vidconference or message. He could use the time to start a thorough cleaning of the house and get things ready for his own little bundles. "Just be careful."

"Will do."

Leonard deleted the latest rounds of hate mail then sent a message to McCoy. Once done with that, he got up and quickly got dressed. He was due to meet Uhura and Sulu for breakfast then go shopping for curtains, bedding, and paint colors for the twins' nursery and playroom. Spock and Jim had already bought the furniture and the crew decided to invade Leonard's little slice of heaven at the end of the week to paint, decorate, and put together the rooms.

Spock returned as Leonard was on his way out and dragged him back into the house and sat him down at the table once again. He made his pregnant bondmate eat two pieces of toast, juice, and take his vitamins and meds before letting him go. They discussed the vandalism of the lab. Spock informed him that each couple had been given a guard and the security footage of the attack was being reviewed. The Vulcan council as well as diplomats representing the different alien species Leonard and his team were working with, were pressuring Starfleet to do something about the attack. So much for him not knowing.

Once he was finished, Spock drove Leonard to his rendezvous before leaving for his teaching job. Leonard was glad to get away from his fussy vulcan who insisted a security officer from their Enterprise accompany him since he wasn't comfortable with the vulcan security Sarek provided. Uhura and Sulu did a good job of taking his mind off it all and they finished selecting the paint colors and fabrics for the two rooms in record time.

It was near noon and cold air greeted them as they exited the shopping mall. Leonard shivered and pulled his beanie down over his ears. Sulu pulled him into a huddle while the security officer went to get the car leaving the three at the top of the stairs near the mall entrance.

"I thought you said Georgia was hot," Sulu teased. At least it wasn't 30 below like on planet Alpha 177. For a while he thought they'd freeze to death when they were unable to be beamed up after the transporter split the captain into two versions of himself.

Leonard rolled his eyes. "It's January! Whaddya expect!?"

"Heat."

An older woman shuffled past them then stopped and turned. Her cloudy brown eyes fixed on Leonard.

"You're Leon Kirxtm."

Leonard looked at Uhura and Sulu then at the older woman. He'd never seen her a day in his life. Her white hair whipped around her heat as she stared at him. She was hunched over (Cushing Syndrome or kyphosis Leonard said to himself) and raised a shaky hand at him.

"You," she snarled.

He frowned. "Sorry, ma'am. But do I know you?"

"You!"

Remembering he was dealing with an elder that could be mentally unstable, he reached out a hand and smiled. "Ma'am, it's cold. Why don't we get you inside?"

She recoiled. "Traitor!"

"What?"

"Conspirin' with tha aliens! Traitor!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

People were turning to watch. This woman clearly needed help. He tried to reach for her again. "Ma'am-"

"Alien whore!"

Uhura grabbed his arm and tried to pull him back. "Leonard-"

"Move!"

One minute Leonard was being pulled back by Uhura, the next there was a hard jolt to his back and he went tumbling down the stairs. End over end he fell, hips, knees, and shoulders hitting the edges of the steps. He curled his body as much as he could and put one hand on his belly while the other tried to slow down his descent. Why were the stairs so damn slippery? And just when he thought it would be a relaxing day.

His momentum finally came to a crashing stop and he landed sprawled on his back on something squishy. The gray sky looked down on him and he could hear people talking loudly. Mentally he took inventory of his injuries.

Head ached. Probably a bump or two. Hopefully no cuts. Shoulder. Probably hit on the edge of a step. Elbow and wrist. Probably from reaching out trying to grab the rail. Hips and knees. Probably from hitting the edge of the steps. No sprains, thank heavens.

The twins. Quiet.

"Leonard, are you alright?" Uhura knelt beside him but didn't attempt to move him just in case anything was broken. He didn't respond. He just looked at her as if he was just done with it all.

"Sir, are you able to stand?"

Leonard turned his head slowly. The security officer was lying underneath him. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that."

******

"They've gone too far I'm tellin' ya!"

Leonard took the ice pack off his head. He had a splitting headache and Jim's pacing was making him nauseous. "Jim -"

"What are they thinking attacking a pregnant person in public in broad daylight?!"

"Jim -" he rolled to the side trying to stand but Spock held him down.

"They think they can do whatever they want without repercussion!?"

Leonard tried to grab Jim's tunic as he walked past but he turned too quickly. "Jim, pl-"

"I won't stand for it! Starting tomorrow I'm recalling all of the Enterprises's security team. This place is gonna be so fortified not even the wind will be let in!"

Leonard struggled to his feet and batted at Spock's hands when he tried to help. Jim was taking it too far. "Now wait just a damn minute, Jim! This is my damn home. I'm not gonna let some ignorant wanna be terrorists turn me into a prisoner on my own land!"

"I'm not gonna let them hurt you again."

"Jim-"

Spock jumped into the conversation. "Leonard, for whatever reason you are this group's primary target. It is our duty to protect you and the children."

"I won't live in a cage!" Leonard roared.

Scotty cleared his throat. Leonard forgot the rest of crew had come running when Sulu called. Now they were all milling about his house waiting for word on what to do next.

"Pardon tha interruption," Scotty smiled. "But I might have a solution."

*******************

The end of the week finally arrived and Leonard was glad for it. M'Benga had gone through the roof when he got the call Leonard had been pushed down the stairs. He did Leonard's full prenatal check up then checked all his injuries.

The twins weren't moving around because there wasn't much room for them to move. Imaging showed that they were fine and that the falutero had protected them. He estimated they weighed about ten pounds each. Leonard's weight had held at 240 so they figured it was all baby weight. M'Benga threatened to confine him to complete bed rest if one more incident occurred.

Leonard walked into the twins' room and looked around. Most of the things they bought had been moved out into the hall to make room for all the painters and furniture assemblers - aka the crew- to move around. Only Spock was currently standing in the room.

"Pick up a brush, big boy."

Spock picked up a paintbrush roller and looked at it. "Would it not be faster and more efficient to have the paintbot do it?"

Leonard rolled his eyes. Everyone was so reliant on technology. What happened to the days of rolling up your sleeves and putting in a days' honest work? "Yeah, it would but where is the fun in that?"

Raising a brow, he looked from the roller to his mate. "Painting is supposed to be fun?"

"It's the joy that comes from doing something with your own two hands. Working side by side with your loved ones for your new loved ones. Teamwork and all that jazz. Something you can look back on and talk about with your kids."

Spock gave him his 'if you say so' look and put the roller down.

Leonard huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "If you don't want to, just go put together furniture or something." Scotty and Chekhov entered and looked at the two a moment.

"Put it together? Did it not come assembled?"

Poking his partner in the side, Leonard smiled. "What a spoiled prince, you are. All that scientific, technical knowledge upstairs and useless putting together furniture."

Scotty and Chekhov laughed to themselves then began laying out drop cloth. Spock was never useless. In fact, he'd probably disregard the instructions and find the fastest most efficient way of assembling the furniture.

"I never said I was unable." He picked up his padd. "I shall put together the furniture while you sit and observe."

Hands on his wide hips, Leonard shook his head. "I'm not 'bout to sit around and watch y'all work."

"Painting requires a great deal of bending and stretching both of which are bad for your back and legs this late in the pregnancy." Taking his arm, Spock began walking Leonard to the door.

"But-"

"And Dr. M'Benga clearly stated he'd confine you to bed for the duration of the pregnancy if you did not take it easy."

Leonard's hands balled into fists as he set his jaw. He pulled free of Spock's hold. "Fine. I'll just go make some tea. Be all domestic like." He waved his hand dramatically before he turned on his heels and fled the room as fast as his aching hips would let him.

Jim entered the room with an amused look on his face. "What did you say to Bones?"

Looking up from the padd, Spock grinned. "I merely reminded him of Dr. M'Benga's threat to confine him to bed if he did not relax and let us decorate the nursery and playroom."

Jim's hazels lit up with glee. Oh, you are so on his shit list now."

"Why would anyone have a list made of excrement with people's names on it?"

The three humans doubled over with laughter. Spock just shook his head at them then went back to reading the instruction padd. No matter how much time he spent with them, his humans could still surprise him with how illogical they were.

Leonard plopped onto the sofa in the living room and put his hand on his stomach. Stupid overbearing, overprotective, fussy, pointy eared computer! And his captain too! Bad enough they were treating him like a queen. He had to have security everywhere he went outside of the house, at least one of them had to be present in the house, his mail was being monitored by security, and now no one would let him cook or clean.

He was pregnant not incapacitated!

Christine must've seen the smoke pouring out of his ears because she walked in and handed him a padd. He grumbled his thanks and began going over data from the trial. At least he could keep himself busy some kind of way.

So far the falutero was doing its job exceeding all expectations. One of the birthers had gotten a virus. While their immune system mobilized and attacked the virus, the falutero protected the growing fetus from the carrier's immune system and the virus. The implant was like a portable sheild protecting the fetus. Something they hadn't thought the nanites would do. He was so into reading the updates on how the f.u. Was performing, he was surprised when he was summoned two hours later.

"That was fast. Ya sure ya didn't miss any spots?"

"We chose the most logical course of action and divided into teams. One team painted while the other assembled furniture. When we were finished, we converged to complete the two rooms."

"Rather efficient use of time," Jim smiled.

Leonard hummed in agreement. Jim and Spock helped him up the stairs and covered his eyes as they positioned him in the center of the finished nursery. A lot of fuss and muss over nothin'. It was just a nursery for the children to sleep and get dressed in and a playroom for them to destroy with their toys.

When they uncovered his eyes, Leonard stared in awe. The upper walls were the same blue as his and Spock's science tunics. The bottom of the wall was white with a chair rail separating the two halves. Small gold insignias were painted on it. The ceiling had been painted black with their galaxy of stars dabbled all over. Leonard recognized Vulcan and Earth as the brightest stars on the ceiling. He saw a few others connected with lines and frowned.

"What are these?"

"The zodiac of all the bridge crew, M'Benga and Christine," Uhura smiled. "They'll always have us watching over them."

There were two mobiles over the cribs with mini soft Enterprises circling a sun and stars. Someone had taken the blankets he'd crocheted and put them in the cribs along with the stuffed animals he'd bought.

Leonard couldn't stop the tears that ran down his cheeks. "You guys are the best." He walked around the room hugging everyone. There were no words for how grateful he was to all of them for everything they'd done for him. "This room is beyond my wildest dreams."

They were getting ready to walk down the hall to show him the nursery when a strange scent filled the room. Chekhov loudly sniffed the air. "Vat iz that smell?"

"Is someone havin' a barbeque?" Scotty asked.

"In January? Highly unlikely." Spock started out of the room with the crew on his heels. Scotty stayed behind to help Leonard down the steps. The smell was stronger and the air thick and heavy with smoke. Leonard felt panic race through him. That would mean the fire was close.

They went to the back porch and looked out into the yard. Smoke rose from the forestry in the distance that bordered Leonard's property.

Christine covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my stars!"

Spock was on his com. "This is Commander Spock. I need a fire team at....."

Jim turned and squeezed Leonard's arm to offer some small measure of reassurance though his face was hard. "Bones, go pack a bag. Uhura, nurse, take him to the hotel. Spock, Mr. Sulu, with me. Scotty, Chekhov, search the front."

Before Leonard could say anything, everyone was off executing Jim's orders. He was urged into the house but couldn't bring himself to move. Everything was moving in slow motion around him as despair washed over him.

His home was being threatened. And for what? Because some people couldn't mind their own business and let others live in peace? Because they felt they were better than someone else? Was that enough reason to harm innocents? To destroy another's property? Why wasn't Starfleet doing anything to protect them? Wasn't tolerance and acceptance their mantra?

He was pulled into a warm embrace. The smell of sweet flowers filled his nose and soft hair tickled his skin. A hand rubbed his back as he cradled his belly and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When it rains it pours. 
> 
> If you see errors in spelling or grammar, don't hesitate to let me know.


	30. The Last Straw

Three weeks passed. Leonard was at the 35th week mark. Most days he laid in bed at the hotel unwilling to do more than shower and eat unless he had to see his patients. The shield Scotty put up around his house protected it well enough but the forestry that lead to the conservation behind his house was destroyed. Nothing but scorched earth and vegetation could be seen from Leonard's back porch. It was a sign that they didn't have to get to him. They could just get everything around him keeping him prisoner.

Starfleet was either incompetent or unwilling to do anything. Back in their reality things like this would never have been allowed to get so far. At the first threat security forces would have swooped down on xenophobic groups and sent them to penal colonies in the farthest reaches of the federation. This reality's Starfleet was complacent and negligent in their duties. Kirk had pleaded and appealed to his contacts in the upper echelon to no avail. Many felt the displaced Enterprise crew wasn't their problem and after Jim put many of them in place, few were reluctant to anything other than barely required.

However, they did find allies in the vulcans. They could not intervene with legal matters on Earth but they could gather intelligence and provide security. They discovered the old woman outside the mall was actually a member of the xenophobic group X who had her look altered. She had been seen at several other fertility facilities right before someone was attacked or the building was destroyed. They deduced that she worked as the decoy for a team that did all the dirty work. Because they couldn't tie her to the acts themselves, she was let go. The perpetrator that pushed Leonard down the stairs had gotten away as well.

So here he was, holed up in a hotel, until they were caught. Leonard's depression came back with a vengeance. Things were finally settling down with him and his lovers. Jim hadn't committed fully but he was around more. The experiment was a raging success and there were talks of expanding it to the colony. He was finally settling in and accepting his fate and preparing for the birth of his little miracles.

Only to have that Enterprise luck strike him once more.

The crew decided to take matters into their own hands. They contacted the other Enterprise crew for help. After hearing what happened, they were happy to lend a hand. They, too had been trying to locate this X group but they were like whisps of smoke. As soon as they drew close, they disappeared.

It took only a few days of near round the clock work but when they were finished, they contacted Jim and Spock and told them to get Leonard on a shuttle and bring him to the old Enterprise. It took the captain and first officer twenty minutes to wrestle Leonard out of his bedclothes, into the shower, and redressed in a light blue robe. Spock brushed his hair into a ponytail while Jim avoided kicks as he tried to put on Bones' shoes. Wiping sweat from his brow, Jim called to be beamed aboard to help them get ready while Spock ushered Leonard out of the house to catch a shuttle that would take them.

Leonard crocheted the entire ride to keep his nerves in check. He didn't want to think about floating in space with only so many inches of metal between him and the cold blackness of death outside. Besides, he could do something useful with his time besides annoy the pants off Spock whose job it was to fly them safely to the old Enterprise. When they landed, Jim was awaiting them in the shuttle bay.

"Can't believe I let you talk me into getting back on this thing," Leonard stalled in the doorway and looked around the shuttle bay. No change there. Grey on grey on black with some white or yellow here and there.

Jim walked up to the shuttle and took both of Leonard's hands in his to help him down. "You'll love it, Bones."

"We couldn't do this on earth? You know I hate space."

"Figured you could use the break."

"You think so, huh? How's this safer?" He waved around. "One teeny tiny puncture to the hull and we'll all be sucked out into that soundless vacuum."

Jim smiled patiently and kissed the top of head. "Always a ray of sunshine." He took Leonard's overnight bag from Spock and they started walking out of the shuttlebay.

The gleam in his eyes contradicted his words. "Never thought I'd be on this rusted bucket of bolts again."

"Don't let Scotty hear you say that."

Leonard smiled. "He knows I don't mean it." He trailed his fingers along the bulkhead as they walked. "This ol girl has gotten us out of more scrapes than I dunno what."

"The Scottys and the Spocks have been working on the replicators so we'll have more food choices for the newer species in this reality."

"Did they ever get the soup to come out hot instead of lukewarm?"

Jim shrugged. "You gotta ask Scotty on that one."

"Prolly not."

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the turbolift. Jim held tightly to his hand. "Since she's going to be a diplomatic ship, she's going to have room for families."

Leonard's eyes widened. "Now why they wanna do a thing like that?"

"Well, diplomats are gone for long stretches and tend to miss their families. The Enterprise will be out on tours of 5 months or less." Jim placed a kiss on the back of his hand. "I'll be home more often or you and the children can come along."

Leonard ignored the bit about him and the children coming along. Jim had just said something profound. A huge smile lit up his face. "You called it home."

"Did I?" Jim looked at Spock for something Leonard couldn't place.

"Does this mean - ?"

Jim just squeezed his hand. "No guarantees yet, Bones."

He stuffed down his disappointment and put on a smile. "Oh."

The lift doors opened to the deck with sick bay and the labs. Leonard noticed the color of the walls had changed and the decking. They passed by one of the labs and he noticed that what had once been a solid wall was now transparent aluminum. New science stations were being installed and he saw the scanners and scopes sitting in the corner.

"Fancy," he mused.

They rounded the corner and stopped in front of the sick bay doors. They, too, had once been grey and solid and were replaced with the same aluminum and white trimming. The doors were blacked out for privacy so he couldn't see inside.

"Here we are," Jim announced.

Nodding in agreement, Leonard smirked. "We are here."

"Shall we?"

Leonard bounced on his toes and smiled. "After you, captain."

"No, no." Jim stepped to the side and held out his hand for Bones to go ahead of him. "I insist."

"Gentlemen, let us not spend all day in the hall. We have other matters to attend to."

Leonard turned and stuck his tongue out at Spock before walking forward. The doors swished open but the lights didn't come on immediately. "Looks like it still needs work."

"Surprise!" was shouted as the lights came on.

He jumped nearly a foot in the air. "Great god almighty! What's the matter with you!? Ya tryin' to gimme a heart attack!?" He asked, glaring at the doctors and nurses from both Enterprises. He was met with laughter and headshakes. If it was one thing they knew it was that their Dr. McCoys tended to be all bark and no bite.

McCoy walked up to him and took his hand. "I told them you wouldn't like it. But what do I know? No one around here listens to me anyway."

"Amen, brother."

McCoy took him on a tour of the new medbay and explained the new things they were putting in. With his credentials and some string pulling, McCoy and the other surgeons and physicians were able to get some of Leonard's requirements waived cutting his time down by four years. The rest he would learn in-field under the internship of McCoy but he'd be reinstated and certified as a doctor once he learned all the tools and equipment. He wasn't sure how he felt being trained by...himself but it was better than what he'd been up against.

After the tour of the med bay and labs, he was taken to the bridge. The memories came flooding back making him misty eyed. His fingertips trailed over the newly installed panels as he walked around . How many times had he leaned against these very stations talking to Uhura or provoke Spock over one point another? Or how many times had he stood behind or behind Jim's chair just shooting the breeze or facing danger with the crew?

Both Enterprise crews stopped their work and watched the three senior officers. Leonard quickly rubbed his eyes and smiled. He had to give it to them, even though many of them had other jobs on Earth and other ships, the crews pulled together to do a wonderful job in making sure the refit still kept their Enterprise looking and feeling like home away from home.

Assuming his rigid pose, Spock stood next to his counterpart at the science station. "Mr. Scott and Scotty Scott along with our engineers stayed onboard voluntarily to oversee the refit and upgrades. My counterpart and I overhauled the computer systems ourselves. Miss Uhura and Miss Nyota have been working together to upgrade the language banks for the universal translator."

Leonard rubbed his stomach and turned to Sulu and Chekhov. "And what about you two. What have you been up to?"

"'Ve've been assisting engineering."

Sulu looked at his counterpart then smiled. "Fencing."

The crews laughter was cut short as the forward viewscreen crackled to life. Several figures dressed in dark hooded robes with masks covering their faces peered out at them. Uhura and Nyota immediately turned to the console and began tracing the signal. Leonard had a bad feeling about this.

"Humans of the Enterprise. You are traitors to your race and deemed a danger to humanity."

Jim and Kirk looked at each other. Like they'd never heard that line of dribble before.

"We will not allow you to use your science to pervert the purity of the races."

Leonard felt that familiar tingle in his core. He stared in shock as he started to become transparent. His eyes widened as he looked around at his friends, his loves. They were still staring at the screen. "No!"

They turned to him in confusion. Vulcan synapses firing faster than humans, the two Spocks realized what was happening before the others and started forward.

Leonard's eyes locked onto Jim's as he reached out knowing it was futile.

There were gasps and yells as Leonard vanished before their eyes. For a minute no one moved. Spock dropped to his knees. That seemed to bring Jim out of it.

"Scan the area for ships. Scotty, trace that transporter signal. Uhura, find out where they were transmitting from." He turned to see younger Spock and Uhura trying to get Spock on his feet. Never before had they seen this emotion in Spock before. His eyes were vacantly staring at the spot Leonard last stood. His shoulders were slumped downward. .

Jim pushed the others back and knelt in front of him. "Spock. Spock!" He smacked him hard enough to color his pale cheek. Spock looked at him forlornly.

"They took Leonard."

"I know. We're gonna get him back. But I need you to pull yourself together."

Spock allowed Jim to pull him to his feet and he straightened out his shirt. When Jim was satisfied, Spock would be alright, he turned to face the crews.

"How the hell did they pull Bones off the ship?"

"This technology is ancient," Hikaru said looking around. "It wouldn't take much to disable shields and beam him out."

"Watch yer mouth there, laddie," Scotty warned shaking a wrench at him.

Hikaru held his hands up and lowered his head. "I meant no disrespect."

"Gentlemen, focus!" Spock shouted. They all looked at the first officer. He'd never raised his voice unless in an emergency to be heard.

"We must not fight amongst ourselves," younger Spock replied.

"Agreed," Jim nodded. "We must find out where they took Leonard and figure out how to get him back."

Kirk stepped forward. "Right. We're not doing it in this. We need to get aboard my Enterprise."

The Enterprise crew of 2267 glared at them.

He quickly put his hands up. "I meant no disrespect. You have more experience with these things but our ship is faster and has more fire power."

Jim looked at his crew. That meant he'd have to give up being the captain. He'd have to sit back and trust someone else to fight as hard for his crew as he would. He'd never trusted his crew to anyone before. They were his family. He felt a moment of panic.

Kirk put a hand on his shoulder. "We've only known each other a short time but Leonard is like family to us too. We won't stop until we get him back."

Jim looked at the determined looks on their faces then glanced at Spock who gave him a light nod. Jim nodded. "Very well, captain."

Kirk went into command mode. The crews were beamed aboard the Enterprise and everyone rushed to their stations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to those that celebrate.


	31. Renegades

Leonard materialized on a transporter pad with disruptors and phasers pointed at him. His eyebrows went up to his hairline as he took in his captors. He expected xenophobic humans behind the hoods and masks. Wasn't he surprised to find a rag tag crew containing human, andorian, tellarite, xindi, and several vulcans.

"Well, ain't this a fine howd'ya do?" he sniped stepping down off the pad. "What are you? Buncha space rejects?"

"Spa'ash ," one of the vulcans spat on the ground near his feet.

His eyes narrowed. "You need to look in the mirror before calling someone names."

One of the vulcans jabbed him in the back with his weapon trying to move him forward. "Nam'uh ralash-fam, komihn guhsh!"

He snorted and pointed to himself. "I'm trash? Have you seen yourself lately? You're a vulcan preachin' 'bout seperatin' the species but yer in bed with people that don't look a thang like ya. Traitor to Surak and the vulcan people if ever I saw one."

A vulcan that had been standing by the control panel raised his voice as his cohort raised his hand to strike Leonard. "Enough! Aglujuak and Sufaal are waiting." He grabbed Leonard's arm and dragged him out of the room.

"Watch it, pal!" Leonard seethed trying to jerk out of his captor's hold. He cursed as he was struck and crashed into a bulkhead. He raised a trembling hand to his split lip. Damn that hurt.

The vulcan looked at him with a cold expression. "We are not like the traitors of our kind that bow down to the federation looking for scraps and handouts. We are not above doing what we must for our cause. Now be silent."

Leonard clenched his teeth together and put his hand on his stomach. He hoped Jim and Spock beat what little color was on this one then beat him some more until he was black and blue all over. The vulcans and andorians walked ahead leaving Leonard behind with the humans.

One of them sneered at him. "We're going to remove that alien abomination from your belly and destroy it," she whispered. "We'll show those filthy aliens they have no business impregnating humans with their foul seed."

"You call them filthy aliens yet you're all workin' together." Leonard leveled his glare at the others. "The only filthy and foul things around here are you. You act like you're so much better than they are. If anything, they are far more superior to you. You're petty and hateful to people who never did anything to you but exist. You think you can ally yourselves with them to get what you want then doublecross them?" He shook his head in disgust. "You've never seen a pissed off vulcan before."

"They've poisoned you thoroughly," one of the males sucked his teeth. "We'll show them. All of them."

Anger coursed through him and he got in the male's face. "You think takin' one pregnant human is gonna make the federation suddenly dissolve their alliances and merrily scoot on back to where they came from? You're outta your cornfed minds."

"Perhaps." His eyes landed on Leonard's belly. "One thing most species can agree on is that hurting children is something they'd rather avoid. We can use the media to fuel our cause."

Leonard shook his head. These people were delusional. Even if the media broadcast anything they did to him, the wheels of the federation moved slow. There would be consultations and simulations and meetings upon meetings. It would take decades for something like that to happen and there would definitely be pushback. Not to mention, in the grand scheme of things, he was just one human.

There was a small thump bringing him out of his head. Politics were not his forte. He left all that to Jim and Spock. No need to ask if they were looking for him, he knew the answer. Had they found him? Were they close?

They stopped walking and he realized they were in a medbay of some kind. It was dark and far too steamy for his liking. It was then that it dawned on him that the ship was slightly warmer than the Enterprise. There were only a few species that liked it warm as a sauna. How were the andorians handling it so well?

"Leon Kirxtm. The latest in a series of doctors attempting to play god and breed across the species."

Quirking a brow, Leonard looked at their supposed leader. He was a human roughly six inches taller than himself dressed in leather from head to toe. He was broad and muscular with a scar on one cheek suggesting a fighter or soldier of some kind. His blond hair was pulled back into a braid that laid over his shoulder as he watched Leonard with dark eyes. Standing beside him was a pale humanoid alien Leonard had never seen before. The alien wore a white lab coat and had a device Leonard thought was an old Earth headlight on his head. His large almond shaped eyes didn't blink once making Leonard feel stripped and exposed.

Unconsciously, his hands cradled his belly as he stared back defiantly. "Who's askin'?"

"I am Aglujuak. I represent the nationalist organization X whose sole purpose is to get offworlders off our planets and back to their own and prevent the mixing of the species."

Leonard couldn't help it. He burst into giggles. They were absolutely deranged! There was no way the federation was going to deal with these yahoos. He felt a jab in his back from one of the others' weapon and his laughter stopped.

"Sorry. Uh...you were saying?"

Aglujuak got in Leonard's space and sneered in the human's face. Up close and personal, Leonard could see something different about his eyes and mouth. He wasn't completely human.

"You won't be laughing once we cut the disease out of you." He turned to his men. "Get the media on the line and strap him down."

Leonard opened his mouth to retort but was grabbed by his arms. He felt a surge of energy course through him. He had just about enough of people threatening his children. They had the right to exist just like anyone else.

"You're makin' a huge mistake!" He jerked his arm back and his elbow connected with bone by the sound of the crunch and resounding howl of pain. Spinning to his left, he hit his attacker with a punch, throat chop, upper cut combo. Another rushed at him and turned in time to throw his knee into the other's midsection. Hiring that personal trainer had been a smart move. Expensive but worth the every credit. A sharp pain exploded behind his eye and he spun around from the force of the hit. He was backhanded then grabbed around the neck in a rear chokehold.

"You will pay for that, traitor!" Aglujuak yelled in his ear. Leonard tried to breathe between the forearm crushing his windpipe and blood filling his mouth. A sharp pain in the rib stole his breath away followed by a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.

"Get that com working! I want to carve this pig for the whole galaxy to see!"

Leonard's heart raced in his chest. Where was the Enterprise? Where were Jim and Spock? He felt his breathing starting to pick up. He couldn't die here. Not after everything he'd been through. Not before he held his little babies.

The ship pitched to one side knocking them slightly off balance but Aglujuak's hold on him didn't relent. A thundering boom could be heard below their feet as red alert lights started flashing and an alarm blared. Aglujuak began yelling and several of his guards ran out into the hall. Three others others took up defensive positions in front of the alien doctor, Leonard, and their leader. Phaser fire and explosions could be heard outside. Aglujuak and his men pointed their guns at the door and waited.

Leonard was filled with relief. He could feel Spock nearby and that meant that his crew, his family, was nearby. Aglujuak shielded them as the door imploded and smoke filled the room. Shouting mixed with the sound of the alarms deafened him as the smoke began to clear.

Uhura, Chekhov, Scotty, and Sulu stood just inside the door with their phasers pointed at the terrorists. Spock entered after them. His eyes landed on Leonard, taking in his injuries, and his face darkened. An animalistic growl ripped from his throat.

Leonard's eyes widened. That was new. He felt along their bond. Rage. Pure unadulterated rage for the ones that took his adun and endangered his t'dashu. Leonard licked his lips nervously. "Ah hell. You done gone and pissed off the hobgoblin."

Aglujuak tightened his hold on Leonard's neck and pulled him flush against him. "He's a vulcan. They're logical and _peaceful_. He is no threat."

If only they could see what Spock wanted to do to them. Leonard couldn't help the smug look that came over his face. "Ya'll are messin' wit _his_ baby momma."

They all looked at Leonard's stomach then at each other.

All humor left Leonard as Spock snarled and his hands curled into fists. "From the looks of it, logic has left the building."

Jim rushed into the room followed by Kirk and McCoy. "Bones!"

The cavalry was all there. "Ya'll are so dead."

Aglujuak tightened his hold on Leonard making him choke. "Quiet! Take one more step and I'll carve the alien slime out of him." He pulled a Klingon d'k tahg out and pointed it at Leonard's stomach.

"Ya do tha, and it'll be the last thin' ya do," Scotty glared.

Chekhov shifted his stance slightly for better balance. "Da. Ze best ting for you to do vould be to zurrender."

Aglujuak's face darkened and a vein pulsed across his forehead. "I'm in charge here, not you!" Knife tip digging into Leonard's stomach, he took two steps back, dragging the pregnant male with him. If he could get to the exit he could escape.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Sulu replied looking around.

Jim's eyes were on the knife and his heart nearly stopped. It was so sharp it had already sliced through Leonard's robe. How deep would that knife have to pierce to cause serious harm to the twins? He couldn't risk it. He had to protect those two innocent lives at all cost. Bones was going to be pissed.

He stepped forward with his hands up. "Release him and we'll let you walk out of here."

Leonard's eyes widened. "Jim!"

"Captain!" Came the collective cry behind Jim's back and to his side.

"Nothing else matters except getting Bones back safely," Jim said over his shoulder.

"Jim! What are ya doin'? Shoot these bastards already."

He looked up and held Leonard's gaze. Hands still up, he took a step forward. "I'm sorry. Bones, I'm- I'm sorry I've been such a terrible boyfriend. A horrible father."

"Jim, you're doing this now?" Leonard said incredulously.

"I've been insecure and lost in self-loathing. When this is over I promise to make it up to you." Without taking his eyes off Leonard, he fired his phaser at one of the men to Leonard's left and charged at them.

Nails raked across his neck as Leonard was yanked out of Aglujuak's hold and shoved into Scotty. He was vaguely aware he was surrounded on all sides and that they were running down a hallway. Phasers were going off and every so often, the ship rocked.

"What the hell is goin' on?" Leonard asked covering his head.

Sulu peeked around a corner before rushing forward. "We're in a firefight."

"Oh. I see."

Movement and yelling ahead made them bank hard to the right, down another corridor. They ducked into a room and locked the door.

"We need another escape route. We're cut off," Scotty said pulling up a diagram. Sulu looked up at the ceiling.

Uhura sucked her teeth. "We can't do that, Leonard won't fit."

A sharp pain made him draw in a breath. There was no stopping it this time. They had to get out of there fast. "Why can't we beam out?"

"They're jammin' our signal. " Scotty cussed. "The ship can't get an accurate lock on us." They heard boots running then stopping in front of the door. Scotty motioned for them to get along the wall on either side of the door. Scotty, Chekhov, and McCoy stood on one side while Sulu, Uhura, and Leonard stood on the other. Scotty gave a nod to make sure they were ready.

The door opened and it was like a well choreographed movie. Scotty yanked the first guard in and punched him in the face. The second turned to attack and had his weapon knocked out of his hand by Sulu and punched by Chekhov. The third one in the hall was stunned by Uhura's phaser.

Leonard groaned as he doubled over clutching his belly. They were coming faster now. McCoy whipped out his tricorder and cursed.

"I didn't know you guys knew martial arts," Leonard said trying to take his mind off the situation.

Chekhov smiled with his chest puffed out. "Martial arts ver invented in Russia."

McCoy and Leonard looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Scotty straightened out his shirt and took his phaser out. "A Scot ne'er backs down from a good fight."

"Jujitsu has long been a traditional part of a child's upbringing."

"Nguni has been taught in my family for centuries." Uhura replied brushing a strand of hair off her forehead and straightening out her skant.

"Remind me to never piss ya'll off."

"You, too, were impressive, Leonard," Uhura praised stroking his arm. "Where did you learn Suus Mahna?"

A cheesy grin spread on Leonard's face. "My personal trainer teaches me self defense."

"Fascinating."

He squeezed her hand. The strength of the contractions was making it hard to focus. He wanted to scream. "Don't you go sounding like Spock. One of him...is enough."

"Aye."

"Whatever we're gonna do, we gotta do it fast. These little munchkins ain't gonna stay in there much longer," McCoy said wrapping an arm around Leonard. 

Sulu picked up one of the guards' hats that had an attached mask. "I think I have an idea."

Jim and younger Spock pulled the raging vulcan off the bleeding unknown hybrid and ran for safety. The explosives they'd planted on the stolen pirate vessel that the terrorist group used as their base were starting to go off and would soon disable all systems. Jim pulled out his com.

"This is Kirk. Report."

_"Scotty 'ere, sir. We're on our way to tha transporter room."_

"What happened to the shuttle?"

_"We got cut off and the doc's in labor."_

Jim and Spock looked at each other. "What about the shuttle?" 

"We are essentially renegades, Jim. Kirk and his crew could be in serious trouble for helping us. Our presence cannot be detected."

"We can't leave the shuttle behind," younger Spock replied. 

"Spock, you're probably the only one strong enough to carry Bones. Go with them. Other Spock and I will take the shuttle and make sure there is no evidence of us ever being here."

"Aye, Captain."

They took off in separate directions to execute their orders. They had to wipe the ship's computer from the last twenty-four hours to make sure they weren't implicated in it's demise. Once they did that, they returned to their shuttle and hightailed it to the Enterprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vulcan Terms  
sa-ka-ashausu - homosexual male  
Spa'ash -disgust (ing)  
komihn guhsh- human trash  
t'dahsu-twins


	32. New Crew

Leonard was in full blown labor when they got him back to the Enterprise. His leggings were soaked and the contractions had increased in intensity and frequency. Spock ran with him in his arms from the transporter pad to med bay with McCoy clearing the way and the rest of the crew hot on their heels as soon as they materialized. Leonard hollered about not being 'a damsel in distress for overprotective hobgoblins to be cartin' around like some princess' in between contractions and how McCoy was a doctor not a bullhorn.

They burst into medbay and all the doctors and nurses sprang into action. "Tev tor!" Leonard hissed as Spock set him down on the biobed. Christine handed them a gown then rushed off to disinfect her hands and don a gown. Jim arrived as Spock was trying to get Leonard undressed and jumped in to help.

"You do not mean that," Spock replied taking off his shoes.

"I can get dressed by myself! Owwww!" Leonard doubled over holding his stomach.

"Heard him shouting Tev tor all the way in the hall. What does that mean?" Jim asked trying to get Leonard's shirt off. Leonard slapped his hands and tried to push him away.

"I-I c-can do th-this," Leonard panted.

Spock got Leonard's leggins down and pulled off his socks. Leonard kicked him for his efforts making him huff impatiently. "For me to die."

Jim froze with the gown in his hands and frowned. "That's a little harsh, Bones."

Leonard clutched the sheet and threw his head back with his eyes screwed shut. "Ponfo miran!"

Spock's eyes widened. "Leonard!"

"Glad he's not mad at me," Jim chuckled. Just as he did so, Leonard gripped the front of his shirt in his fist.

"Te odeo! Mori in igni!" he snarled shoving him back.

Jim had to admit, for a pregnant guy, Bones was hella strong. He turned to Spock. "Is that old Latin?"

Spock nodded. "It is."

He grabbed Leonard's arm and shoved it into the sleeve. "What did he say?"

Spock wrestled Leonard out of his underwear and lifted his legs on the bed. "He hates you and for you to die in a fire."

"Ouch."

Leonard clutched his belly and threw his head back in pain. "Fuck! It hurts!"

"Just breathe, Bones."

"We are here. Stay calm."

Leonard was incensed. "Fuck your calm! You shoot a vulcan baby the size of a watermelon out of your nether regions, do it a second time, then tell me all about calm!"

Spock brushed his damp hair off his forehead. "Breathe."

"Stupid green blooded, pointy eared computer and stupid golden sunshine man child!"

Jim dabbed his partner's headed flesh with a damp rag. "If I didn't know better, I'd say we were being insulted."

"Affirmative." M'Benga and McCoy returned with Christine and they injected Leonard with the nerve blocker for pain.

Leonard broke down into tears as his pain ebbed away. "I'm so glad you're here! I was so scared!"

Jim kissed the top of his head and smoothed down his hair. "When you recover we're bonding and I'm never leaving you guys again."

"You promise?"

"I promise." Jim cupped Leonard's flushed cheeks in his hand and kissed him softly.

"Okay."

M'Benga clapped and rubbed his hands in excitement. "Okay. Let's get this show on the road."

********************

Leonard sat up with his hands in his lap watching Spock and Jim with the children. Like the model predicted, both babies had black hair, pointed tips to their ears, and upswept brows typical of vulcans. They had soft skin with golden undertones. Leonard had been brought to tears when he first stared down into thier little almond shaped blue eyes. But they weren't just blue. Bursts of hazel surrounded their pupils. A true combining of their dna.

He balled the sheet up in his hands and licked his lips. "Um...we didn't discuss names, but I wanted to name them Karil Solkar and Ikar Samuel."

Spock looked up in surprise. "They both mean winter in Vulcan."

Jim was looking at Leonard with such love. "You gave them middle names from our fore-fathers." He took Leonard's hand and kissed the back of it. "The first vulcan to meet a human and the first Kirk in space."

Spock took his other hand and squeezed. "You continue to honor us, ashayam."

Leonard leaned over and kissed both of them on the cheek as Christine came in. She smiled looking at the little family. 

"Gentlemen, we have a sickbay full of people who want to meet the newest crewmembers."

"Make sure to disinfect every single last one of 'em. Won't be contaminatin' my babies with their space cooties," Leonard fussed.

Chapel huffed. "Of course. Who do you take me for? Have you met my boss?"

Leonard grinned toothily. "I might have once or twice."

Mindful of the sensitive hearing of vulcans, the crews came to visit in pairs. The Uhuras came first. They gave the children their first language lessons by welcoming them in ten different languages. The Chekhovs were next reciting a Russian blessing. The Sulus gave them (Spock and Jim) two small plants to grow with them. The Scottys presented them with a recording of Scottish lullabies. Kirk and younger Spock were absent, having been called to Starfleet to deal with the mysterious disappearance of the Enterprise for nearly two hours.

McCoy walked in and peered into the cribs. "Lookit those little pointy ears. Oh my 'lanta! Who would have thought they'd be so cute," he gushed.

Leonard smiled and gave him a tight hug. "What brings you here? Thought you'd be gettin' yer ass chewed with Jim."

"I wouldn't have missed this for all the Saurian brandy in the galaxy." He glanced over at Jim and Spock hovering in the corner then lowered his voice. "Besides, I had something to tell ya."

Leonard looked over at the two. "Can we get a few minutes?"

Spock gave his half nod and walked out. Jim kissed the top of his head and followed.

"Must be contagious," McCoy mused.

"What's that?"

"Oh, just Kirks pulling their head out of their asses at the last minute."

Leonard started laughing. "Tell me about it!"

"I just wanted to thank you. For what you've done. Your work has given a lot of people hope."

"Glad I could help."

"I also wanted to tell ya," McCoy leaned forward to whisper the last bit. "They asked me on a date."

Spock was returning back to Leonard's room after filing his report in triplicate for the Vulcan council. He heard soft movement and paused in the doorway with a raised eyebrow. Jim and Leonard were passed out in each other's arms on the biobed. But that wasn't what made him lean against the doorframe and smile.

Ambassador Sarek of Vulcan was leaning over the cribs and smiling at the children who were wide awake. It wasn't a full smile like a human's. Just the slightest crinkle in the corners of his eyes and lift of the corners of his mouth. He gave the twins the ta'al then whispered,

"Amestri tre."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vulcan Terms and phrases  
Ponfo miran-go to hell  
Amestri tre-your presence honours us
> 
> Alas, we've come to the end. I'd love to hear your thoughts good, bad, or ugly. As far as NaNoWriMo goes, I met the deadline and exceeded the word count. This is the first time I've completed a story in a month or less. Thank you all for taking the time to read this story.


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